


Shattered

by Minttulatte



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Apocalypse, Drama, F/M, Horror, Inspired by Final Fantasy XIII2, Inspired by Once Upon a Time, Nalu - Freeform, Not for NaLi fans, Post Apocalypse, Romance, Survival Horror, Time Travel, Torture, Tragedy, eventual Nalu - Freeform, evil Lisanna, lots of trigger warnings, slowburn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:14:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 38
Words: 215,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25549549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Minttulatte/pseuds/Minttulatte
Summary: A long time ago an evil sorceress was sealed into the soul of Lucy Heartfilia's ancestors, and now in 791X, it's time for her to be freed. And when she is, the world - and even the time itself - falls into total chaos. But is the evil sorceress really the evil mastermind behind it after all? Mainly NaLu. Sting/OC. Rogue/OC. OC/OC.Story will be very dark and very emotional, so if you are suffering from depression or anxiety, do proceed with care. You have been warned.
Relationships: Natsu Dragneel/Lucy Heartfilia, Regina H/Theodore Darcas, Rogue Cheney/Aurora H, Sting Eucliffe/Nora
Comments: 4
Kudos: 14





	1. Happy's Help Request

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, everybody. I'm here to finally to make my dream come true and post this masterpiece of 38 chapters on this site as well. Some of you might have seen it on ffnet as well, and yes, it's the same story from the same author. This one had its typos murdered in 2019 though so It's a little bit different from the one that it was originally. :) 
> 
> And as usual, I do not own Fairy Tail. It's owned by Hiro Mashima. Only the storyline, locations you can't recognize and the OC characters are mine.

_ARC 1: Memory Loss_

_Magnolia,  
_ _Year: 791X_

He couldn't move.

After taking that cup of cola soda he had been offered by That Girl, dizziness had taken over him. Room seemed to be circling in his eyes, and every muscle in his body became heavy.

Had it been poison of some kind?

But there was no pain!

What was happening?!

He felt how That Girl came and raised his head on her lap. Her closeness felt so wrong to him.

”Don't worry, you'll be fine soon”, whispered That Girl gently into his ear.

Something was terribly wrong. He could feel how a memory of someone he cared about slowly faded out of his mind.

Person who owned this whispering voice was sitting on the living room's floor, holding his head on her lap.

But she wasn't the one he wanted her to be – not even close.

He couldn't even talk so he couldn't tell her to go away.

”Out of sight, out of mind”, whispering voice said. ”It's going to be better this way. You would have never been with her anyway. She doesn't know you, nor does she deserve your friendship. Let the memories fade. Forget her very existence.”

As the memories faded away slowly, he couldn't help but feel scared.

Why would this happen to him?

Why did this happen to him?

Why not someone else?

Why does it have to be him?

”It has to be you because we made a promise”, whispering voice said. ”You will soon remember, and we'll be together, my love.”

 _Love?_ He thought. _No way..._

”Close your eyes. When you wake up, you'll feel fine again”, That Girl's voice said gently as his eyes started to close.

He felt so tired.

Too tired to even stand it.

As he let sleep take him, he saw a pair of blue eyes with a victorious glint in them...

*****

_Three Weeks Later_

Even though she had been ignored by many in the guild for a while, Lucy had decided not to make a big deal of it. Of course, she did feel a bit sad, but she also wanted to believe that things will eventually change. They usually did. These people – her family – wouldn't ignore her forever, right? That was just nonsense. It wouldn't happen. Ever. She was sure of it that she kept a smile on her lips every day when she went to the guild.

Today was no different. After getting ready in her apartment, she walked out on the sunny streets of Magnolia. Day was a good one after the rainy days that had seemed to last forever. Lucy hated rain. It made her so depressed, even when she tried to smile. That's why she was happy that those days were over. It was easier to go on missions, too – even if Lucy had been going on solo missions for a while now.

”I wonder if they'd take me with them this time”, Lucy wondered aloud. ”Last time they left before I even got to the guild...”

Team Natsu had left on a mission without her almost at once after the Grand Magic Games had ended. But unlike Lucy had expected – meaning that they would remember she was the member of the team, too – Team Natsu started to go on more and more missions with Lisanna instead and it felt like that Lucy didn't matter to them anymore. And that made her really sad.

”And eventually everyone was shocked with the announcement of Natsu and Lisanna were together”, Lucy remembered and sighed. From that day on, Lucy had been basically a ghost in the guild. Not that she really complained though, she had noticed that she actually had time to work on her novels a lot more without any distractions. And for that she was very happy... well, at first. After a while she started to miss her team's sudden visits. She also missed Natsu's weird habit of coming through her window into her apartment to sleep in her bed. She wasn't sure why he did that, but for some weird reason she really liked it.

Lucy arrived the guild building. As always, people were already fighting over something there. Lucy facepalmed. Will these crazy people ever stop?!

”Yo, Ice Princess, you got no right to critisize me!” Natsu's voice roared stronger than any other's voice.

”I wonder what they're arguing about today”, Lucy mumbled to herself as she walked through the front yard. She took a side step just in time to avoid a flying table and sighed. This guild surely was a rowdy one. To Lucy it seemed like people were fighting every day when she came in. As she stepped into the guild hall, everything was in shambles as always.

Lucy headed to the request board to find a job suitable for her.

”Lucy!” she heard a voice and felt something – or someone – on top of her head. She could recognize Happy's voice anywhere.

”Hey, Happy”, Lucy said as she dodged a flying chair that came her way.

She started to feel annoyed. Who the hell was trying to kill her with furniture?!

”It was Pantherlily who threw that chair”, Happy told her mischief evident in his voice.

”Oh, is that so?” Lucy said and as she was thinking of calling one of her spirits to avenge her, Loki appeared. ”I thought you might want me to avenge you, princess”, he flirted.

”Go on then”, Lucy said smiling.

”Your wish is my command, love”, Loki said and joined the raging battle.

”So, Happy, what's up?” Lucy turned her attention back to the blue Exceed.

”I need your help with something”, Happy answered. ”It's about Lisanna's and Natsu's relationship.”

”How am I supposed to help you with that? Shouldn't you talk to them?” Lucy asked, feeling confused.

”I tried to talk to them, but they don't listen. Something's wrong with Natsu! It's been like that for a while...”

”Something's wrong with Natsu?” Lucy asked, now curious. ”Please tell me more”, she added and dodged another flying chair coming at her.

”He doesn't see me, and it looks like he doesn't even know who you are. It all started soon after we came back from the Grand Magic Games”, Happy said.

”Natsu doesn't remember me?” Lucy asked, dumbfounded.

”Yeah, whenever I ask something about you, he looks like he has no idea who you are. In general there's something fishy about this whole thing. I don't even think that relationship is real, Lucy”, Happy sighed. ”Will you help me?”

Lucy tapped her bottom lip with her index finger. Something did sound a bit off in Happy's explanation. But then again, Lucy had been noticing it more often recently. She had thought it was only her mind playing tricks on her – or some sort of jealousy, too – but if Happy felt that something was wrong with those two, then it must be true.

_I just can't put my finger on it, but those two together just looks so forced, Lucy thought as she sat next to her friend, Levy McGarden, in Fairy Tail's guild hall. Lucy had just seen Natsu and Lisanna come in holding hands. Something caught Lucy's eye about Natsu. He didn't seem to be into it honestly, but then he kissed her like he loved her. This confused Lucy beyond belief. What was going on?_

_Blonde looked around her to see if someone else had noticed it too, but everyone else was more interested in their own things. Lucy felt so alone with her thoughts._

_Ugh, maybe I'm just jealous of him, blonde thought._

” _Jealous of whom?” asked Levy._

” _Did I say it aloud?”_

” _You did, Bunny Girl”, Gajeel, who sat with them as well, confirmed. ”Are you jealous of Salamander?”_

” _I don't know”, Lucy said, feeling unsure of voicing her thoughts._

_She knew that she would sound jealous if she'd say, 'those two shouldn't be together' or 'something's wrong with that, we should figure out what it is' so it would be better if she just kept her weird thoughts to herself instead._

” _Never mind. I don't think I'm jealous”, Lucy said and smiled. ”Actually, I'm gonna go pick up a job for some extra cash.”_

_And with that, Lucy stood up and hurried away. She couldn't afford to let anyone know she didn't like the idea of her best friend in a relationship with a girl who wasn't Lucy – yet she wasn't going to step between them either. Only a idiot would do something like that. Now, only thing she could do was to forget all of this and move on._

_But the problem was that she couldn't forget the wrong vibes around Lisanna and Natsu._

_This means I wasn't wrong at all,_ Lucy thought and sighed.

Why didn't she go talk to the rest of the team the moment those suspicions arose in her? They must have been aware of the fakery of Natsu's relationship too!

”Happy, you're absolutely right. Something's wrong with those two”, blonde said. ”Have you spoken with Erza and Gray?”

”Yes, and they're going to do something about it, too”, Happy answered.

”Alright then”, Lucy said. ”I'll help you, but I want to spy on them a bit first.”

”They're going to go shopping later today.”

”Right, I'll follow them around a bit then.”

*****

Later that day Lucy finally had a chance to find out what was going on. She knew that Natsu could smell her scent from far away so Lucy had to just pretend she was doing something else so he would think her presence nearby was nothing but a coincidence. She was just going to pretend she was buying food for the trip to her next mission.

 _That's very unusual,_ Lucy thought as she pretended to be looking at the vegetables while spying on Natsu, Lisanna and Happy – Lisanna had clinged herself to Natsu's arm and was talking all the time. Happy sometimes tried to get attention, but was unable to do so.

Lucy started to feel irritated. How could something like this happen?! Neither Natsu or Lisanna didn't care about him!

 _Gosh, I'm so disappointed in you now. That's not like you, Natsu,_ Lucy thought as she followed the pair in the marketplace. She stopped in front of the fishmonger's street shop to buy some fish for Happy – mostly because Natsu had turned around to look at Lucy. She didn't want to get caught like this. Natsu probably wouldn't yell at her but Lisanna probably would.

”That would be 1,400 jewels”, fishmonger told Lucy after she had decided to take some red snapper.

”Thank you, and good day”, Lucy said.

”And you, too, miss”, fishmonger said.

Lucy turned around and followed Natsu and Lisanna quietly – close enough to hear them talk.

”What should we buy next, Natsu?” Lisanna asked. ”I mean, we're gonna have a nice dinner tonight anyway so...”

”I honestly don't care what I eat since everything you cook is awesome”, Natsu said and smiled to her. His voice sounded very weird and not like Natsu at all – in fact, to Lucy, he sounded like he was drugged.

She felt shivers go down her spine as she thought about that possibility.

”And then we could do something more pleasant than just eating”, Lisanna's playful tone interrupted her thoughts.

”Anything to keep you happy, Lis”, Natsu just said.

 _Natsu's behavior is so weird that I need to try to follow them some more. Maybe I will get my answers now,_ Lucy thought hopefully.

”Hey, let's go over here!” Lisanna said and dragged Natsu by his arm into a flower store called _Magnolia's Finest Flowers._

Lucy followed them inside wondering why Lisanna suddenly wanted to go check out flowers. Store was relatably small compared to some other flower shops Lucy had visited in her life, but it was still big enough that Lucy could find a perfect hiding spot. As she hid behind one of the shelves, she made sure she found a place she could hear ”couple's” discussions.

”It's so wonderful to be here!” Lisanna cried. She picked up blue violettas. ”How about we use these, Natsu?”

”They do smell pretty nice”, Natsu agreed. ”And it matches your eyes perfectly.”

 _Seriously, what the actual fuck?_ Lucy thought as she looked at the couple from behind the green shelf that was full of baby cactuses. Flirting Natsu was a weird sight. Lucy's previous thoughts about him being drugged came to her mind again. Something was seriously wrong with him. Blonde just couldn't put a finger on it yet. She needed closer contact with Natsu to figure that out. And what's more – why would Lisanna even drug him? It made absolutely no sense to Lucy.

”This place smells horrible. I feel dizzy!” Happy said and fell on the stone floor nearby Lucy's hiding place. She caught him.

Lisanna and Natsu didn't even notice because they were too obsessed with the flowers.

”That's not like him at all”, Lucy whispered to the blue feline she was holding.

”Exactly”, Happy whispered. ”What are you gonna do?”

”Investigate some more. I can't figure this out just yet.”

”Good luck on that, Lucy”, Happy said, looking sad.

”Hey, we'll sort this out, Happy. No need to be so sad”, Lucy said smiling. ”I promise.”

Happy nodded and jumped off Lucy's arms. He then walked back to Natsu and Lisanna, who didn't even notice it as they kept talking about various flowers with the sales clerk.

”These are popular for weddings”, sales clerk, a middle aged, brown haired woman was just saying, holding a bouquet of roses in various colors. ”Did you have something like this in mind?”

”Oh, we aren't getting married yet”, Lisanna said sweetly. ”We have only just started dating.”

”I'm sorry. I assumed so because you asked for wedding flowers.”

”It's alright. We are actually looking for flowers for the yard of our house. It's in terrible state at the moment and I thought some violettas could brighten up the place.”

”Something smells weirdly familiar”, Natsu suddenly said and sniffled the air. ”Like vanilla and strawberries.”

 _Oh crap! Run, Lucy!_ Blonde thought and ran outside as fast as she could without being seen. She hid behind the closest box she was able to spot and sat there feeling like her heart was about to pop out from her chest.

”Natsu, come back inside”, Lisanna called.

”But I swear I smelt something familiar, Lis! It was as if it was someone I've wanted to talk to for weeks now...” Natsu said. ”But I can't remember that person...”

”It doesn't matter, Natsu. Come on!” Lisanna said impatiently. ”We got a lot of work to be done.”

”Okay, Lis”, Natsu said and then he walked back in.

Lisanna looked suspiciously around just to find the one who was following them, but couldn't see anything. Lucy hoped she wouldn't come and check out the box because it would be easy to count facts together. Lisanna wasn't stupid.

”Must be my imagination. Why would anyone follow me anyway...?” Lisanna mumbled and went back into the store.

Lucy stood up and looked at the store for a moment. Natsu really didn't remember her. He recognized her smell as something familiar but couldn't tell who it belonged to.

Lucy decided it would be better if she went back to the guild. She had a feeling that she might need everyone's help to solve the mystery instead of trying to do it alone.

*****

It was peaceful at the guild hall when Lucy stepped in few moments later. All the signs of the morning brawl were cleaned up and most of the fighters had gone to their missions – or shopping like Natsu had done. Lucy hoped that she and Happy wouldn't get into trouble for their little scheming – something really bothered Lucy with the way Lisanna had spoken outside the flower shop.

 _She had sounded suspicious. Very suspicious,_ Lucy thought.

”Hey, Lucy”, Mira greeted as the blonde sat down on the stool. ”The usual?”

”Yes please”, Lucy said smiling.

”You look worried. Is something wrong?”

”Nah, I'm cool”, Lucy said happily as Mira put her usual chocolate and coffee flavored milkshake in front of her. ”Just thinking about this story idea I have”, she lied.

”Oh, alright, Lucy. Enjoy your milkshake!” Mira said smiling happily as she went to the kitchen.

 _As if I'm going to tell you that I'm not okay with your sister dating my best friend,_ Lucy thought as she took a sip of her milkshake. _I can't let Mira know, not until I have some actual proof that the relationship really is a lie. She's too excited over the fact that childhood friends are finally lovers._

Lucy's thoughts were interrupted by the person she had been thinking about. He and Lisanna came to the bar and they sat down close to Lucy while chatting about something blonde couldn't hear. Natsu didn't even notice her like he usually would – it was like she was nothing but air to him.

 _That's weird. Usually he would say hello to me at least,_ blonde thought and decided to try a bit of a experiment to see if talking worked.

”Happy, I got something for you”, she said aloud. Happy came to her looking curious. When Lucy took the red snapper from her shopping bag, Happy's eyes started glinting.

”You brought me fish!” blue cat cried tears in his eyes.

”I bet it's good, Happy. It was the most expensive one I found”, Lucy said.

”I am happy!” Happy said and started eating. ”So good~!”

 _Natsu doesn't see or hear me. Hmm, I wonder..._ Lucy thought while she took another sip of her milkshake.

”Why are you buying fish for our cat?” Lisanna's voice interrupted her thinking process.

Lucy noticed how Happy tensed at once. Blonde herself was speechless. What the hell was going on? Had Edolas changed her attitude or was she really just heartless?

”Excuse me?” Lucy asked.

”Why are you buying fish for our cat?” Lisanna repeated, looking annoyed.

”Since when has Happy been 'just a cat' to you, Natsu?” Lucy asked her best friend, but he said nothing. It was that moment when she got her confirmation that Natsu was enchanted to pay no attention to Lucy.

 _What the hell did you make him drink, Lisanna?!_ Lucy thought furiously.

She stood up and walked past Natsu to her and whispered, ”What did you make him drink, Lisanna?”

”I don't know what you're talking about”, Lisanna whispered, while taking a sip of her strawberry soda that she loved.

”Fine then”, Lucy said. ”Happy will stay with me until you and Natsu realize how wrongly you're treating him. Come on, Happy.”

”Aye sir!” blue cat said.

He put his half eaten fish into his backpack and followed Lucy further away from the happy couple. She looked around and saw Erza and Gray sitting in a table so far away that she could talk to them about this problem without Lisanna hearing them. She was a bit nervous about talking to them after a while but it made her feel kind of stupid too. These were her friends, after all, why would they tell her to go away anyway? It was dumb to even assume that would happen!

”Hey, Lucy”, Gray greeted as she sat down in front of them. ”How's Flame Brain?”

”That's not the Natsu I know”, Lucy told them ”Also, how did I get kicked out of the team without me knowing about it?” she added, raising her eyebrow.

Gray sighed. ”Well, to be completely honest, I have no idea how it happened. Lisanna just started to hang out with us. At first it seemed like a normal 'old friends hanging out' type of thing, but then she started talking about taking missions with us. We thought it would be a one time thing so we agreed to do it but then she was suddenly with us on every mission while Natsu never said anything about you. He and Lisanna just picked up a mission for us and we went with it until Happy said there was something weird about their relationship.”

”No, I told you that Natsu and Lisanna doesn't care about my presence”, Happy – who was eating red snapper again – corrected him.

”Right. And then we noticed that for Natsu it was like you had never even existed. He even dared to ask 'who's Lucy' once. That's when we knew that something was up.”

”We believe Lisanna has something to do with it”, Erza said. ”We tried to reason with Natsu, but he just doesn't listen to us. It's like the only one he listens to is Lisanna.”

”Hmm, I see”, Lucy said, nodding. ”We gotta do a proper investigation on this. If Natsu is under an effect of a potion of some kind, we need to help him”, she added.

”What do you have in mind?” Gray said.

”We gotta sneak into Natsu's house and try to find the source of the problem”, Lucy said. ”I believe there's a magic potion somewhere in there that causes this. There's no other explanation. We have to find it, study it and then reverse the effect.”

”Good idea”, Erza said. ”You and Happy can do that while me and Gray take them on a mission that takes few days to be complete.”

”Let's do that”, Lucy said. ”Although, how are you going to explain why Happy isn't coming with you?”

”Easy. We just say he got ill by eating too much red snapper”, Gray said as he watched how Happy laid on the table looking like he was about to throw up.

”Happy, you weren't supposed to eat the whole thing today!” Lucy told the blue feline.

”But it was too delicious...” Happy defended himself.

”And now you're sick!”

”A-aye sir...”


	2. A House Covered In Flowers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another chapter for Shattered. I decided to post first 3 in one go today, and I will post more later this week. :) 
> 
> Happy reading, everyone!

If Natsu had been in his senses at the moment, he would have known Erza and Gray had lied to him. The Natsu Dragneel he spoke with this morning about the mission they were going to do didn't even ask why Happy wasn't coming with them. It really pissed Gray off because he knew how close Natsu and Happy really were. This careless behavior was so out of character for him. At first Gray hadn't even noticed it. He had believed Natsu when he had said Lisanna would join the team for a while so they could spend more time together. At the time Natsu was still treating Happy like a friend, but as time went by, Gray started to notice the strange change in his attitude – whenever Happy tried to get his attention, Natsu ignored him and concentrated on Lisanna instead.

And that was when things began to get even weirder.

_It was a sunny day a week after Lisanna had joined the team. Team Natsu was going back to Magnolia by foot after finishing a mission in a nearby village that had wanted to get rid of a group of lovesick Vulcans. Mission went well and they got the reward._

_Gray was wondering how Lucy was doing. She seemed quite sad and annoyed lately which made him think of what Lisanna and Natsu had told them a week ago._

” _Did you actually talk with Lucy about replacing her, Lisanna?” Gray asked._

” _Of course we did. She agreed right away and said something about wanting to take time to do solo missions instead”, Lisanna answered while averting his gaze._

_Gray furrowed his eyebrows. ”Oh, did she now?”_

” _Why are you even asking? I told you exactly what she said”, Lisanna said._

” _It's just that I saw how upset she was this morning when we were leaving.”_

” _She must have been pissed because we took this job or something.”_

” _Luce isn't like that”, Happy suddenly said, sounding annoyed. ”There's something else going on here.”_

_Gray looked at the blue Exceed. Why was he so annoyed? It was very unusual for him to be like this. Usually Happy was the one always goofing around but this was something new. He was about to ask about it, when Natsu spoke._

” _I'd just like to know who this Lucy is who you're talking about so much. Is she your girlfriend, Gray?”_

” _What the hell?” Gray said. ”Are you seriously telling me you don't remember Lucy Heartfilia, your best friend?”_

” _Best friend? What are you saying, Ice Princess? My best friend is right here”, Natsu grinned at Lisanna while taking her hand into his. ”Let's go. I'm starving!” he said and ran away, dragging Lisanna along with him._

_Gray was so shocked that he stopped walking completely. ”What the hell is going on here?!”_

” _Good question, Gray”, Erza said. ”I was wondering when you'd notice it. There's something wrong with Natsu.”_

” _There is”, Happy said. ”It's like Lucy doesn't even exist to him anymore.”_

” _And it looks like Lisanna has something do with it, too”, Erza added._

” _Are you sure about this?” Gray asked while crossing his arms on his chest. ”Should we do something?”_

” _We can't. That's the problem. You know how passionate and protective Natsu over people he cares about most so if we just go confront Lisanna, Natsu will be there to defend her. And I don't want to fight with him over something that can be solved by talking.”_

” _Hey, what are you standing there for?! Hurry up, I'm hungry!” Natsu yelled._

” _Don't worry about us, Natsu. Just go ahead if you're that hungry!” Gray yelled back._

” _Anyway... Should we try to reason with Natsu instead?” Happy said._

” _How so?” Erza asked._

” _Recently he hasn't been paying attention to me at all. If I say something, he just looks at me for a moment and then turns his attention to Lisanna again. It happens every day, and what makes it even worse, is that Lisanna is basically living with us now”, Happy said, sounding more and more annoyed as he spoke._

” _How long has Lisanna been staying with you now?” Gray asked._

” _Eight days.”_

” _And he started behaving weirdly about seven days ago”, Erza noted. ”We have to talk to Natsu first. Then go confront Lisanna if it's possible. One of them knows the truth.”_

_Gray and Happy nodded in agreement._

******

_As they later arrived at the guild, they decided to go and talk to Natsu right away. They approached the table he was eating with Lisanna sitting next to him._

” _Natsu, we need to talk”, Erza said. ”Just you and us.”_

” _Whatever you have to say to Natsu, you can tell me too! I'm a team member now, too!” Lisanna said. ”Don't leave me out because you're not satisfied with Lucy's decision to stay out.”_

” _Fine then, Lisanna”, Erza said. ”Natsu, are you sure you don't remember this girl?” She took a picture of Lucy from her pocket – Gray couldn't help but wonder why she had it with her anyway – and showed it to Natsu._

” _I see nothing in this pic”, Natsu said._

_Gray couldn't believe it. Was Natsu serious?! He seriously couldn't see Lucy in this photo?! ”You gotta be kidding me, Flame Brain! How is it that you don't see her here when everyone else does?!”_

” _Why are you getting so worked up over this anyway?” Natsu said, looking annoyed. ”I'm losin' my appetite now!”_

” _Let me smack some sense into that brain of yours because you're not supposed to forget someone just like that”, Gray challenged him._

” _Calm down, Gray!” Erza ordered. ”I told you we are not going to fight with him, remember? Please try to control yourself.”_

” _It's just so...” Gray ruffled his dark hair in frustration._

_This whole thing really bothered him. It really did._

” _It would be better if you leave us alone now”, Lisanna said seriously while putting her hand on Natsu's arm._

” _Fine, but something's fishy here, and we will find out what it is”, Erza said calmly, but a clear threat in her voice._

_Gray swore he had seen a look of worry in Lisanna's eyes for a moment before it disappeared._

_It was on that very same day that he knew that she had done something to him._

Gray had wanted to punch Natsu real hard if it had brought him back to his senses that day. But Erza was right. If they really wanted to find out the truth, they would have to try to avoid conflicts. Although sometimes they were unavoidable. Gray tried his best but knowing that one of his friends was mistreating others was something that made him angry. He hoped that things would be fixed soon. Now that both Lucy and Happy were out of the team, it didn't feel the same anymore.

”Um, doing this job will take us three days”, Lisanna said.

They were sitting in the train that would take them to the town of Marjorie. Their client – the mayor of the town – had asked for a guild's help to get rid of another set of lovesick Vulcans.

”Yeah, so what?” Erza asked as she read newest issue of _Fiore's Finest Weapons_ magazine.

”Why are we going on a mission so far away?”

”I just thought this team needs to reconnect. Recently we have been too distant from each other. Only a bad team would suffer from such a thing and Team Natsu's supposed to be the strongest team of Fairy Tail, don't you agree?”

”Oh, of course, you're right, Erza”, Lisanna said quickly. ”So, where's Happy?” she changed the subject.

 _We already told you where he is, Lisanna,_ Gray thought. ”He's having a day off. He didn't feel well so I told him to stay at the guild for today”, he said aloud.

He and Erza had told her and Natsu that Happy would stay with Lucy today but it seemed that Lisanna had forgotten.

”But what if Natsu needs him?” Lisanna asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

”He won't. That group of Vulcans will be beaten in minutes”, Erza said.

”Why do you suddenly care about Happy so much anyway?” Gray suddenly asked. ”It's not like you or Natsu have done so recently...”

Lisanna just laughed. ”Are you kidding? Of course we care about Happy. Why wouldn't we? We are basically his parents!”

 _You're a horrible liar, Lisanna,_ Gray just thought.

_It was a wonderful day to go on a mission._

_Or that's what Happy thought._

_He and Natsu were also in a serious need of money and they both knew that Lucy always had a need for money, too. Going on missions with those two was always fun because it was so obvious that they liked each other more than they wanted to confess. It was fun to follow all the obvious flirting between the two._

_But on that day everything changed completely._

_When it was time for the team to leave, Natsu didn't bring Lucy with him. Instead, he had Lisanna there with him. Happy didn't know what to think – should he be disappointed or happy?_

” _Lisanna, did you come to see us off?” Erza asked._

” _No, I'm coming with you”, Lisanna said._

” _With us? Why? Where's Lucy?”_

” _Oh, I had a talk with Lucy and she said I can take her place for a while. She said she wants to train on her own for a while by going on solo missions”, Lisanna said smiling sweetly._

_But Happy didn't buy it. Lucy would have told them if that was the case._

” _Natsu, did she really say so?” blue Exceed asked from his salmon haired best friend._

” _O-o-of course she did. Don't be stupid, Happy!” Natsu said grinning._

_He has no idea who we are talking about, Happy thought._

_The thought scared him. What was going on? Was this some kind of a stupid prank he and Lisanna came up with? Because Happy wasn't amused at all!_

” _Alright then”, Erza said. ”If she said so, then we'll go together on this mission. I'm sure she'll be okay by herself.”_

_Happy wanted to go to Lucy's place to ask her himself but he couldn't. Instead, he went with Team Natsu on the mission in a nearby town called Hana but all he could think about was if Lucy was upset when she found out what had happened._

”Do you think we will find something from our house, Lucy?” Happy asked as he flew next to the blonde girl, as they made their way towards Natsu's house in Magnolia.

”I have a hunch that there is something in there”, Lucy said. ”Don't worry, Happy, Natsu will be himself in no time. All we need to do is to work secretly.”

Happy hoped Lucy was right. He was sure that the culprit was Lisanna but he didn't want to say anything to Master until he had enough proof. So until then he wanted to help Natsu as best as he could.

”Lucy, I'm sorry”, he suddenly said.

”For what?” Lucy asked.

”Because nobody told you we were going to replace you.”

”Oh, that. I'm not sad anymore. I mean, I was for a while but not anymore. Besides, doing solo missions was pretty fun. I was able to save some money, too.”

Happy was glad about it. ”I'm glad. I wouldn't want to get Lucy Kicked.”  
”Do I sense some teasing in that sentence, Happy?” Lucy asked.

”Absolutely not”, blue cat grinned.

******

They arrived Natsu's and Happy's house a little while later. Lucy had gone there a few times before, but it was always looking rather messy. This time the house and the yard were pretty clean. There were all kinds of flowers that decorated the house's windowstills and bushes of roses on the both sides of the path to the house. Lucy could easily tell that Lisanna lived here.

”She's trying to turn this place into her own paradise”, Happy said. ”Wait until you see what's inside.”

”I'm not sure I want to see that”, Lucy said honestly. ”There's too much everything outside already for sure.”

Lucy opened the door with the key Happy gave her. They went in, and Lucy saw a completely unrecognisable living room. Lisanna seriously had a obsession with flowers. They were everywhere: on windostills, on every table and even some flower cans were on the floor. House was completely unrecognizable. The last time Lucy had been there, it had been messy but still so cozy that it felt like a home. It was so Natsu and Happy. But this house Lucy had went in this time wasn't the same at all.

”I don't like that there's so much flowers here. I feel dizzy all the time”, Happy said.

”Really?” Lucy asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

She had once read a book of various types of magic and one part said that with some magic potions certain types of flowers would boost the potion's effect on their victim.

”I was right. It's a magic potion he has taken, Happy. Let's go search the kitchen next”, blonde said.

”Aye sir!” Happy shouted and flew into the kitchen.

Lucy followed him and saw more flowers everywhere. Violettas and roses mostly. There had to be a connection between these and what was happening to Natsu.

”Can you tell me something about these flowers?” blonde asked.

”Lisanna wanted to decorate the house and the yard so she bought them. Why?”

”I read a book of spells that said something about roses and violettas are able to make some magic potions more effective. Book didn't have a list of those potions so we have no idea what that potion might be.”

”We could ask Levy!”

”Good idea, Happy”, Lucy gave him thumbs up. ”Now we just have to find that potion...” she added while she looked around.

Everything was in order that it was hard to tell what was out of place. Happy flew to check out the closets while Lucy started to search through drawers and small cabinets.

”Did you find something, Happy?” Lucy asked.

”Nope.”

They went back to the living room and did the same search on every place possible.

In a corner cabinet that Lucy was searching through there was a small half empty glass bottle. As Lucy took a closer look on it, she suddenly felt sick. She covered her mouth with her hand and took few steps back.

”Lucy, are you alright?” Happy asked, sounding worried.

”I found the potion but going near it makes me feel sick...” Lucy whispered and grabbed the bottle. ”Happy, go get something we can wrap this into.”

Happy nodded and grabbed a piece of clothing from the couch. He came to Lucy, who wrapped the clothing around the bottle.

”Let's go see Levy now, Happy. I'm sure she can help us”, Lucy said.

”Shouldn't we try to get rid of these flowers first?”

”Let's leave them here as of now. We don't want the culprit to know that we are onto her.”

”So you think the culprit is Lisanna, too?”

”Well, let's just say that I wouldn't be surprised if it was her.”

” _I know you did something to him, Lisanna!” Happy said three weeks later after he told Natsu about how they had forgoten Lucy completely. Natsu had just said how he didn't know anyone called Lucy so Happy became really suspicious. And because of that, he decided to confront Lisanna face to face to be sure of his suspicions before he told anyone._

” _I don't know what you're talking about, Happy”, Lisanna said as she continued to walk towards the Fairy Hills apartments._

” _You know very well what I'm talking about, and I will find out what you did to him!”_

_Lisanna stopped and sighed. ”You will never find out the truth. Besides, it's only best if Lucy isn't on the team. She's not as strong as the rest of them. I fit in so much better.”_

” _But Lucy is the one who brought us together in the first place! If she's not there, the team will disband.”_

” _Nonsense. I can keep the team together.”_

” _I doubt that, Lisanna. You're just obsessed with Natsu. Everyone knows that.”_

” _I'm not obsessed, Happy. I'm only living my dream. Besides, me and Natsu made a promise as kids. It's time he keeps it which he's doing very well, I may add”, Lisanna said and sighed happy smile on her face. She was radiating like an angel of some kind – or that's what she would look like if Happy wasn't suspecting her of messing with Natsu's mind somehow._

” _I will find a way to fix this, Lisanna, and then you're in serious trouble!” Happy said, rose on his wings and flew back to Magnolia. He had to get help. It was time to get Lucy involved in this mystery. She was smart. She could figure this out in no time._

_When Happy got into the guild that day, he saw Natsu fighting with Gray and Lucy checking out the request board. It was pretty rare to see Lucy in the guild these days because she was usually avoiding Team Natsu as best as she could. Therefore Happy decided to go to her before she could leave again._

At the same time when Lucy and Happy were taking the suspicious magic potion to Levy, Lisanna was feeling uneasy in Marjorie. Team Natsu had arrived thirty minutes ago and had been checked in to their hotel. Their plan was to meet the client tomorrow morning. But Lisanna wasn't feeling well. She remembered what Happy had said two days ago about knowing what Lisanna was doing.

It was true, he did.

She was, indeed, the mastermind behind Natsu's odd behavior. She had just thought that his behavior wouldn't change so much because of the potion! She had no idea it would also affect his attitude towards Happy. She definitely hadn't wanted that. Only thing she had wanted was that Natsu would forget Lucy for the rest of his life. Lisanna wanted him to keep his promise to her.

And to keep that promise, Lucy had to disappear.

Of course, killing her or kidnapping her would have been too obvious... but it seemed like no matter what Lisanna tried, Happy, Erza and Gray would eventually find out. And what's more, Lisanna was a hundred percent sure that Lucy also knew what was going on. It was obvious yesterday when Lucy showed a lot of interest in Natsu. She was sure that Lucy had been following her and Natsu around Magnolia. Nobody else made Natsu react so strongly to their scent!

 _If they had gotten in close contact, effect would have wore off. He's still asking me about that smell. I need to come up with a lie and fast to shut him up. Being this far away from his house isn't a good thing. I need violettas and roses to keep that effect as strong as possible..._ Lisanna thought while she looked outside the hotel room window. She was in serious trouble, that's for sure.

_I'm pretty sure that Erza, Gray, Lucy and Happy are working together this time. Although I'm sure that they won't find the bottle. I hid it well, and put that curse on it, too. It should be enough to keep them away._

”Lisanna”, Natsu interrupted her thoughts.

”Yes, Natsu?”

”I can't get it out of my mind.”

Lisanna closed her eyes. That cursed Lucy! Even under a goddamn curse Natsu still couldn't take her out of his mind. Of course, he didn't know it was Lucy, but he spent way too much time thinking about that scent from yesterday.

Happy is smarter than Lisanna had thought. He must have known that Lisanna will lose control over Natsu if Lucy was near enough for him to smell her.

”You should try your best not to remember her”, Lisanna said turning around to face Natsu. ”She is gone now, Natsu, and that's only a good thing.”

”Why do I have a feeling that you're lying to me?” Natsu said, looking very suspicious.

That suprised Lisanna. It seemed like the effect was weakening faster than she had thought.

”I'm not lying to you”, Lisanna said while she sat down on the bed they shared. ”It's just that things that caused her to leave are something no one in the guild wants to talk about. Trust me, Natsu, you don't want to remember what happened. Those days were horrible.”

”Horrible how?”

”I don't want to tell you”, Lisanna said, not realizing that she made a grave mistake by avoiding the matter. ”Let's get some sleep. It's gonna be a long day tomorrow.”

”Okay, keep your secrets then, Lis”, Natsu said.

******

As Lucy and Happy got back to the guild, they were happy that they did because the bottle's annoying curse had made them both feel weak. They had thrown up twice on their way back. That's why Lucy felt like a winner when she got into the building.

She was glad that Levy was still there. She went to her and sat down on opposite side of her and put the clothing covered bottle on the table.

”I need your help with this”, blonde said.

”What is it?” Levy asked. ”It makes me feel weird.”

”It's a cursed bottle that someone used on Natsu to make him forget Lucy!” Happy said.

”That makes sense”, Levy said and opened the clothing package carefully. ”Hmm, I think we need Master to break this curse. I can't do it.”

”I already sensed something cursed in the guild”, Master's voice called.

He jumped up onto the table and looked at the bottle.

”Looks like the Weakening Curse spell to me.”

He then put his hand over the bottle and mumbled something. Everyone who was sitting nearby feeling sick were alright again.

”What happened to me?” Macao asked from the table further away. ”I felt like I should throw up and then I didn't.”

”It was a curse”, Master answered. ”This bottle contains something that the user wishes to protect. Where did you find it?” Last question was directed at Lucy and Happy.

”It was in one of the cabinets in Natsu's house”, Lucy answered.

”This is the reason why Natsu has been behaving weirdly, isn't it?” Wendy asked. ”Before he left with the Team Natsu, he asked everyone who Lucy is this morning. It was strange.”

”Memory Loss Potion, hmm?” Makarov mumbled and picked up the bottle. He opened it. Sweet smell filled everyone's noses at once.

”It smells like you, Lucy!” Wendy said, looking surprised. ”Strawberries and vanilla! But why?”

”It's because the culprit needed something from Lucy for the potion to make it work properly. Maybe a hair strand or something she has touched before. It's the most important ingredient for this potion”, Makarov explained.

”Something from the person or thing that will be erased from the victim's mind”, Lucy whispered quietly.

That's exactly what that _Book of Spells and Potions_ had said.

”How come Natsu didn't smell this?” Gajeel wondered.

”The culprit probably mixed it together with something else to cover up the scent”, Wendy murmured.

”Who could do something like this to our Natsu?” Macao asked.

Lucy looked at Mirajane for a second before she said, ”Lisanna would.”

Other members of the guild were shocked.

”Lisanna?” Makarov asked. ”Are you sure?”

”Yes, Master. She has covered Natsu's house with roses and violettas that are needed to boost the potion's effect”, Lucy explained.

”And she was buying those more of those said flowers from the florist yesterday”, Happy said.

”So Lisanna is the mastermind behind this problem”, Makarov said. ”We must stop her before she does something more dangerous. Using this potion too long will have side effects.”

”Natsu can fight it!” Happy cried, ”I know he can. He isn't even close to his house now...”

”Which mission did Team Natsu take, Mira?” Makarov asked.

Mirajane took out the book of accepted missions with sad look on her face as she checked out the lists.

”They took the Marjorie Town Vulcan mission, Master.”

”It will take them three days until they're back here”, Master said. ”Alright then. In the meantime we'll get rid of all flowers in Natsu's and Happy's house, tell the florist not to sell anything to Lisanna anymore and go look through her belongings in order to get rid of all Memory Loss Potion ingredients.”

”Me and Elfman will look for the ingredients, Master”, Mira said at once.

”Alright. Lucy, Happy, Wendy and Carla, you go clean up Natsu's house. We others will work on the Reverse Potion”, Makarov said. ”Let's start now. We don't have much time.”

Everyone nodded and Lucy, Happy, Wendy, Carla, Elfman and Mirajane left the guild hall. Lucy was feeling surprisingly angry.

 _How dare she do something like this to Natsu?! To me?!_ She thought.

What had Lucy even done to Lisanna for this to happen?

”Lucy?” Wendy asked, sounding worried.

”How can she do something like that to Natsu? Why erase me from his memories?” Lucy said before she could stop herself.

”She's in love with him”, Mirajane answered. ”And Lis is stuck in the past. She thinks things will turn back to the way they were before her 'death'.”

”Which means the times when I wasn't in the guild yet”, Lucy said and sighed.

”I'm sorry, Lucy.”

”It's alright. It's not your fault that she did this. It's hers, not yours.”

_Getting ingredients for the Memory Loss Potion was surprisingly hard. That was the conclusion Lisanna had come to when she was walking around the town trying to find everything she needed. There were times when she wondered why she did this but then she remembered the moment she had realized how close Lucy and Natsu really were._

_And Lisanna couldn't stand it._

_But then she found a way to fix things back to the way they used to be. It was a risky solution, but it would work. Lisanna was going to make sure that it would. That's why she found herself standing in front of Lucy Heartfilia's house. She was going to sneak in and steal something. She looked around twice to be sure that nobody saw her and then transformed into a bird. Then she rose on her wings and flew to Lucy's window._

_How stupid are you, Lucy? Leaving a window open like this..._ _Lisanna thought as she transformed back to her human form and went in. She probably did that because of Natsu's and Happy's habit of sneaking in without warning, Lisanna thought. In that case, I gotta work fast before they come back from that mission they went together..._

_Lisanna looked around in Lucy's room. It wasn't a huge one, which amused Lisanna. For a rich girl Lucy surely lived in modesty. It destroyed Lisanna's impression of her rival completely. She didn't have time to get confused because she didn't want to be seen nearby this house in case someone would start to investigate it later._

_Lisanna walked straight to the bathroom. She would definitely find something useful there. And she did too; when she turned around to look at the mirror, she saw Lucy's hairbrush laying there next to the sink and smiled._

” _Jackpot”, she mumbled as she went there and picked it up to look at it closer._

_There it was._

_Hair strand._

_Just what she needed._

_She took it out and then took the small glass bottle from her pocket and put the hair strand in. She smiled again._

_Maybe things will end up well after all._

Lisanna bit her fingernails sitting on a bench in Marjorie. She had just woken up to a horrible feeling of trouble coming her way and it was at that very moment that she knew.

She knew that they knew.

So she took her own surveillance lacrima with her and put it on to check what was going on back home. To her horror she saw Mirajane and Elfman searching through her room in their apartment.

Lisanna's chest tightened. How had they found out?!

” _Did you find anything, Elfman?” Mira asked Elfman._

” _This smells kinda weird, sis”, Elfman said. He was standing in front of Lisanna's wardrobe with a pouch of Memory Loss Potion ingredients in it._

” _And here is the glass bottle that still has a bit of Lucy's hair in it”, Mirajane said looking at the very familiar bottle in her hands. ”Let's take these to Fairy Tail so they can create that Reverse Potion for Natsu.”_

” _What Lisanna did surely isn't manly at all”, Elfman agreed. ”Let's go.”_

Lisanna herself felt huge frustration and disappointment. How had they found out so easily? She was expecting Lucy and Happy to do something like this in their desperate attempt at saving Natsu but not Mirajane and Elfman!

”Wait, if sis and bro were in my room, then that must mean... Oh shit!” Lisanna turned another surveillance channel on to look into Natsu's house.

” _The smell of these flowers is so strong it's making me feel dizzy, too”, Wendy just said._

” _You can use your magic after these are out, Wendy. I think the smell will disappear with that”, Lucy said. ”I still can't believe Lisanna could do this to him! How dare she? I understand that she and Natsu used to be really close as kids but why don't she just try something else instead of just forcing him to drink a potion that erases me from his memory?”_

” _Lucy, calm down. Things will be fixed”, Carla said._

” _I know. It just makes me so angry whenever I think about it”, Lucy sighed. ”Oh well, let's just throw this stuff out and clean the air. Then the effect on Natsu should weaken.”_

Lisanna felt so angry. Carla and Wendy knew too? And Master Makarov?

”Just exactly how many people have you gotten involved in this, idiots?” she murmured while watching how Wendy and Lucy carried flower pots outside where Happy was keeping an eye on the bonfire that burnt all flowers.

Lisanna felt so angry that she wanted to scream, but instead she just threw the lacrima on the hard ground.

It broke into pieces.

”Looks like I underestimated Happy. I thought he won't go and tell someone like he said he would. I guess he ran to Lucy the moment he threw that threat at me. Impressive”, Lisanna mumbled. ”But I won't give up. I will keep Lucy and Natsu separated at any cost when I'm back. I know where to get those flowers easily. It doesn't matter if you tell everyone not to sell me anything...”

She grinned.


	3. Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's one of the longest chapters for the story. I was very inspired when I wrote this one, and I was listening to music that really helped me to write this the way I wanted it to be written. 
> 
> And no, I do not hate Lisanna. But in this story I needed someone to be doing shady things in Fairy Tail and Lisanna was the perfect choice for the role. This is the only story where she does this type of things. In my other story ideas she's usually one of Lucy's besties. :)

It was the day when Team Natsu completed the mission they had agreed on doing. They were supposed to get rid of a group of Forest Vulcans that had a habit of kidnapping girls and young women from Marjorie during their mating season. Town officials had tried their best to get rid of them, but it wasn't successful so the mayor had decided to ask guilds' help.

Team Natsu had arrived late at night two days ago and in the next morning the group went into the woods where the Vulcans lived. It turned out that it was the same herd they had met before. Their leader was mad because of Team Natsu's appearance and tried to destroy them, but failed miserably. After the leader Vulcan was beaten, rest of the herd ran away in fear. Leader followed them as best as he could with all the injuries he had all over its body.

Team Natsu returned to the town and the residents welcomed them with cheers and happy cries of 'we're saved!'. They smiled and were served food as a thank you gift along with the reward the Mayor had promised.

After that Team Natsu went to their hotel rooms to collect their stuff so they could leave for Magnolia on the night train. Erza knew that Natsu wouldn't approve the idea, but redhead wanted to get back to the guild as soon as possible to figure out how to get rid of Natsu's problem.

Erza's thoughts were interrupted by a ringing sound from one of her travelling bags. Redhead hurried to the bag and opened it. There was a shiny connection lacrima that Erza had taken with her so she could get first hand information on what Lucy and Happy found from Natsu's house. She answered the call. Lucy's face appeared on the surface of the orb.

”Hey, Lucy”, Erza said.

”Hey, Erza”, Lucy answered. ”We have successfully found out what's wrong with Natsu.”

”It was Lisanna!” cried furious looking Happy, who appeared on the screen out of nowhere. ”She hid that bottle!”

”What bottle?” asked Gray, who just entered the room.

”Lisanna made Natsu take Memory Loss Potion three weeks ago”, Lucy said. ”And we found it from his house. It was cursed but Master removed the spell.”

”That horrible woman”, Gray murmured. ”How can she do something like this to her friend?”

”I can't say, Gray”, Lucy said. ”But Mira thinks it's because Lisanna wants all the lost time with Natsu back.”

”So it's confirmed that Lisanna is the culprit for Natsu's weird behavior?” Erza interrupted their chat.

Lucy nodded. ”Master said that Memory Loss Potion may have some side effects. Natsu has been under its effect for three weeks now so we can't say what will happen when we finally give him the Reverse Potion”, she said, looking very serious, sadness never leaving her eyes.

”Don't worry, Lucy”, Gray said. ”When we'll return, we'll work this out. Natsu will be himself soon.”

”I hope so”, Lucy answered hesitantly. ”It's just that I feel so angry because of this. I probably should just let it go but I just can't make these feelings go away...”

”Maybe that girl deserves to be beaten up”, Gray mumbled. ”I can't believe she did this...”

”Calm down, you two. We will fix this”, Erza ordered. ”We'll be back tomorrow morning and make things right again, ok?”

Both Lucy and Gray nodded as an answer.

There was a knock on the door.

”Dammit”, Gray said. ”Lucy, we gotta end the call now. Someone's coming!”

”Ok, Gray. Bye, and be careful. Both of you. We don't want to get caught at this point”, Lucy said and closed the connection herself.

Erza put it into her travel bag as Gray went to the door. Erza made sure that the lacrima was hidden well so that nobody could notice it. Especially if the person at the door was Lisanna herself.

”Natsu, what are you doing here?” Gray asked, surprised.

”Let me in, ice princess”, Natsu ordered.

Gray did so as Erza turned around to look at the salmon haired young man. He looked troubled and didn't stop ruffling his hair, which was something Natsu didn't usually do.

”What's up, Natsu?” Gray asked and looked at Erza sideways as if the say, 'now's our chance, let's use it'.

Erza nodded as a sign that she understood. Gray closed the door and leaned his back against it – probably to make sure that Lisanna won't suddenly run in.

”I can't get this weird yet really familiar smell out of my mind. I had a dream last night of someone with blonde hair and brown eyes. And I knew it was her smell. I just can't remember who she is”, Natsu said, looking annoyed. ”Lisanna says she's evil, but something just tells me that it's a lie.”

”It is a lie, Natsu”, Erza said. ”That girl in your dream was Lucy Heartfilia. Your best friend who you've forgotten.”

”How can I forget someone so important?” Natsu asked.

”That's because you were forced to forget her”, Erza answered. ”By Lisanna. Be careful.”

”Why would Lisanna do something like that? She's a friend!”

”Natsu, Lisanna was away from us for a long time. She thinks she can make things turn back to the way they were before all that happened and Lucy wasn't with us back then. That's why she made you forget her”, Gray said.

”I have a hard time to believe you right now. Show me the proof.”

”The proof is at Fairy Tail”, Erza said. ”In Lucy's possession.”

Natsu's expression brightened up at the mentioning of 'Lucy' and 'Fairy Tail'. ”She's at the guild? She isn't dead?”

”What the hell has Lisanna been telling you, Natsu?” Gray whispered. ”Lucy is alive.”

”I was told she's gone so I assumed-”

”What has Lisanna told you, exactly?” Erza interrupted.

Was Lisanna seriously telling lies to Natsu to make him forget Lucy even more effectively? Was this how that Memory Loss Potion worked? User had to use roses and violettas to make it more effective and then create replacement memories in victim's mind?

_This potion is really dangerous. I wonder if it's dark magic..._ redhead thought.

”She said Lucy was a evil dark sorceress who was kicked out of the guild and nobody knows where she has gone. Lisanna said my memory loss is a result of her attack on the guild three weeks ago. She says Lucy tortured members, and that I'm the only one who's still suffering from the aftermath of the attack”, Natsu explained, making both Gray and Erza look at him their mouths hanging open.

”Lisanna surely has a really wild imagination” _,_ Erza mumbled.

”I have a hard time to imagine Lucy evil”, Gray said.

”You're not the only one, Gray”, Erza agreed. ”Natsu, you have been told lies by a jealous person. Don't believe anything she says.”

”Then I think my relationship with her is also a lie”, Natsu wondered aloud. ”Is it?”

Erza only nodded. ”There's someone else you love.”

”I knew it!” Natsu shouted. ”I've known this whole thing is weird as hell!”

”Keep your voice down, Natsu!” Erza ordered. ”We don't want her to hear.”

”She had some errands in the town. How could she hear you?”

”Errands?” Gray asked suspiciously.

”Yeah, she said she wants to buy snacks for the trip back home.”

”You don't think she-?” Gray looked at Erza quizzically.

”She knows”, Erza confirmed. ”She went to get something she can ruin our plans with.”

”Should we stop her before she does something?”

”I don't think she tries something when we're here. We're stronger and she knows it.”

”You really think Lisanna did this?” Natsu asked. ”Because I have a hard time to believe that.”

”Well, you will see the proof when we get to the guild, Natsu”, Gray said.

******

When Lisanna finally returned to the hotel where Team Natsu was staying, everyone else had packed their bags and were ready to leave. Lisanna, however, was carrying bags full of things she didn't want to show anyone and hurried upstairs while others sat in the lobby where they had been waiting for an hour for Lisanna's return already.

”I wonder why she was being so secretive”, Natsu wondered aloud while sitting on the sofa, but Erza and Gray only changed a glance. Natsu had a hard time to believe that Lisanna would be lying to him.

_But then again, she does have a habit of avoiding some subjects as best as she could_ , Natsu thought. _This really sucks._

”We're going to be late if we have to wait for her too long”, Erza said. ”What's taking so long with packing her stuff up anyway?”

”She probably has trouble with the stuff she bought”, Gray suggested.

”That, or she's doing something else...”

”I'm sure she'll come soon”, Natsu said.

”We would be in the train already if Lucy was with us though”, Gray mumbled.

_What's this weird feeling in my chest whenever that girl is mentioned? I'm excited that I get to see her? Why is that?_ Natsu thought.

After he had had his talk with Erza and Gray, he had noticed that he started to remember more of this Lucy girl. Memories were very vague and very blurry, but at least he now remembered what her voice sounded like. And it made him both happy and sad. Why? Because he missed the sound of that voice.

”I'm ready!” Lisanna's voice rang from the staircase. ”Natsu, can you help me with my stuff?”

”Sure, Lis”, Natsu said, stood up and went to her.

Lisanna offered few, surprisingly heavy, bags to him and the two of them went to the entrance hall together.

”Do you have everything?” Erza asked calmly, but Natsu still sensed the danger. Erza wasn't too happy of the delay and that's why he hoped that Lisanna had everything with her. Pissed off Erza was creepy as hell.

”I checked my bags three times to make sure”, Lisanna said calmly. ”Let's go home. I miss my bed, my sis and my brother.”

Natsu noticed that Erza and Gray glanced at each other again, and couldn't help but wonder why.

_Also, I think I have forgotten someone very important to me..._ Natsu thought as he followed Lisanna outside.

******

When the team finally got to the Marjorie Train Station, they realized they were too late. Their train to Magnolia had just left. Erza didn't take it very well.

”I already signed out from the hotel we were in and now we have no place to stay”, redhead said, trying to control her anger.

”We could do camping outside town”, Gray suggested calmly. ”And tomorrow we'll take the first train to Magnolia, Erza.”

”Or we could walk”, Natsu suggested.

”Are you stupid, Natsu? Walking to Magnolia would take us at least 3 days!”

”I don't care. I get sick in trains.”

”And I don't want to see Natsu sick. We should walk like he suggested”, Lisanna said.

”No, we are going to take the morning train tomorrow like Gray suggested”, Erza said. ”I'll go buy us the tickets now. No buts, Natsu and Lisanna. I've had enough bullshit for today.”

With that, she walked to the ticket booth few meters away.

”Wow, she has amazing control of her anger”, Natsu said, amazed. ”It's pretty obvious that she's annoyed as hell.”

”I still say that we should go by foot”, Lisanna said while sitting on one of her suitcases.

”And why is that?” Gray asked, crossing his arms across his chest.

”I already told you my reasons.”

”Our train leaves tomorrow at 10am”, Erza informed them. ”It will in Magnolia 9:30pm tomorrow. Now let's go back to the hotel.”

”Natsu, help me carry these bags”, Lisanna ordered and shoved few other bags into his arms before he was even able to say yes or no.

_I wish Happy was here- wait, who's that?_ Natsu thought. Name sounded so familiar. But why didn't Natsu remember him?

_Wait, how do I know it's a male name anyway? Oh, my head's starting to hurt. I gotta stop thinking. Lisanna will get worried,_ he thought as he followed others back to the hotel they had been staying. He couldn't help but wonder why they were even late from the train. Their hotel was only two hundred meters away from it!

”Welcome back, miss Scarlet. Did you decide to stay in the town a bit longer?” said the woman behind the reception desk when the team got back in.

”No, we missed our train back to Magnolia. Are our rooms still available?” Erza said so calmly that Natsu felt shivers go down his spine.

”Yes. I will let you stay here for free. After all, you did help our town to get rid of those Vulcans”, woman answered while giving their keys back.

”Thank you very much”, Erza said. She turned around to face the rest of the group. ”Here are the keys, but small changes. Natsu and Gray will stay in the same room and you're going to stay with me.”

”Why?” Lisanna complained.

”Because this way I can make sure that we're not going miss the train again. We don't have time to play games, Lisanna. Otherwise I will take action and remove you from this team”, Erza answered while she handed out the keys for everyone.

Lisanna stiffened as the redhead went on and eventually turned red from shame.

_So you wanted us to miss the train, Lis? Why would you do that?_ Natsu wondered. Maybe Lisanna really was completely different from the girl Natsu had learned know after all.

******

The next morning Erza made sure that everyone woke up early enough so they could eat breakfast and then finally go home. She also wanted to keep an eye on Lisanna so that she wouldn't do anything to ruin the journey once more. Erza had been really pissed off at her last night because of white haired girl's stupid games. She had come to a conclusion that somehow Lisanna knew what was going on. She knew that others at Fairy Tail were onto her so she tried her best not to get caught.

_I'm going to make sure that your plans are ruined,_ Erza thought as she sat down on her bed in the empty hotel room – Lisanna had left for breakfast with Gray and Natsu – and took out her connection lacrima so she could call Lucy. Blonde celestial spirit mage answered right away. ”Erza? Why aren't you here yet?” she asked.

”We got caught into the web of Lisanna's little games and missed the train yesterday”, Erza answered. ”I noticed it too late. I'm sorry.”

”Don't worry about it. At least you're OK”, Lucy said and smiled.

”Lisanna has somehow found out what you're doing at Fairy Tail”, Erza continued. ”You have to guard the Reverse Potion.”

”I'm on it!” Levy's voice said, and small blue haired girl appeared on the screen. ”We found a security lacrima from Lisanna's room at Fairy Hills and another in Natsu's house last night so we destroyed them. But it was clear that she had been using them both before we saw them. I've just found a perfect spell to protect the Potion”, she explained and then disappeared.

”Levy's been looking for the spell the whole night”, Lucy said. ”She hasn't slept at all.”

”Oh, I have to go, Lucy. We'll be there later today”, Erza said while looking at the clock. It was time to go to the train station.

”Alright, Erza. Hopefully you won't miss the train again. I will send Loki to Lucy Kick Lisanna unconcious if it happens again”, Lucy said and closed the connection.

Erza smiled. ”I hope there's no need to do that, Lucy.”

******

Fifteen minutes later Team Natsu sat in the train – or in Natsu's case, laid on the seat – while the train was on its way to Magnolia Station. Lisanna was annoyed that they had succeeded in that. She had hoped that they had missed the train so she would have been given a chance to go buy roses and violettas. Her control over Natsu was slipping more and more. She needed those flowers to make the effect strong again.

_I wonder what might happen if I made him drink more of that Potion though. Maybe the effect is going off altogether and I have to trick him into drinking more of it?_ Lisanna thought as she looked outside the window while sitting next to Gray. Erza sat on the other side with Natsu laying on his back next to her his head on her lap.

_If I was sitting next to him, I would try to make him drink more of the Potion... No, that would be dangerous. I need to wait until I get home and I can make him sniff roses and violettas. Then he'll forget Lucy again,_ Lisanna thought.

”I think I'm not going to take any missions for a week starting tomorrow”, Gray suddenly said. ”I think I need a break.”

”Good idea, Gray. I could use one too”, Erza agreed.

”Why do we need a break?” Lisanna questioned. ”I think it's more fun to travel than stay home.”

”Even wizards needs to take their time off, from time to time, Lisanna. It's time we have one. We have gone on missions non-stop for three weeks now”, Erza told her. ”And I think Natsu would agree as well.”

”How are you gonna ask him though? You knocked him unconcious when we got on this train!”

”This way he won't throw up on us, Lisanna, and you know it.”

Lisanna fumed deep inside. These people were planning on taking some time off and not be her cover up now that she desperately needed one.

She needed a cover up in case she had to go buy her flowers from the town next to Magnolia. If she went alone, they would follow her and stop her.

And Lisanna didn't want that to happen.

”Fine then, Erza. I'll ask someone else to do missions with me while you're being lazy”, Lisanna said, and then looked out of the window for the rest of the trip.

******

Everyone was present in the guild hall. Master Makarov had finally told everyone that Natsu was being controlled by the Memory Loss Potion that Lisanna had given to him in order to make him forget Lucy's existence altogether. Master also told everyone that Happy was the first one to notice that something was wrong because Potion's effect had also made him forget the blue Exceed as well.

Everyone was quiet.

”Isn't Memory Loss Potion forbidden by the law?” Laxus asked. ”I think the Council has a list of Potions that should never be used.”

”Exactly. It sounds like Lisanna somehow got some of those lists into her hands and found about this Potion”, Bixlow said.

”No, it was in this book”, Lucy said and took _Potions For All Purposes_ out from her bag she had brought with that morning. It was full of books from Fairy Tail's own library. ”I found it from our own library.”

”What does it say about the Potion?” Makarov asked.

”Well, that's a good question”, Lucy said. ”The recipe page has been ripped off from this.”

She offered the book to him.

”Hmm, it's been ripped off several years ago”, he said while touching the line of the remnants of the page.

”How can you tell?”

”It's because brewing Memory Loss Potion takes seven years”, Makarov answered. ”So I think it's safe to say that Lisanna found about this Potion soon after she returned from Edolas seven years ago.”

”So that's why she was so eager to go on missions with everyone”, Bixlow said. ”She was looking for the ingredients for the Potion.”

”Everyone except me”, Lucy sighed.

”Hey, she didn't go on a mission with us or Wendy either”, Levy said. ”I think she knows we are good friends with you so she avoided us so she won't make us suspect anything.”

******

”How long will it take that the Potion is ready?” Makarov asked from Levy and Freed who were working on Reverse Potion together.

”Maybe a day or two”, Levy – who was working on spells to keep the said Potion hidden from Lisanna – answered. ”We can't be sure. This potion is really hard to make.”

”I don't care how long it takes!” Happy cried. ”I just want the real Natsu back!”

”I agree with Happy”, Lucy said. ”Take as much as time you need and meanwhile we'll try to distract her from trying to stop us.”

”What do you have in mind, Lucy?” Makarov said.

”I'm gonna confront her. That's what I'm going to do”, Lucy answered, standing up. ”Come on, Happy. Let's ruin Lisanna's plans.”

”Aye sir!” Happy shouted and flew out from the guild hall. Lucy followed him, feeling determined.

”I bet Bunny Girl wins that battle”, Lucy heard Gajeel say behind her.

_Since when have I said I'm going to fight Lisanna?_ Lucy wondered as she stepped out from the building. She could hear other members betting on the winner of the 'battle'. Lucy herself only shook her head and hoped that no fight would occur. She was sure she could make Memory Loss Potion's effect much weaker by revealing herself to Natsu. That was what she had read from the book called _Potions For All Purposes._ She had found that book from Fairy Tail's library.

_Unless Erza and Gray already told him that she's lying,_ Lucy thought.

She couldn't help but feel hopeful. She didn't want to be out from the team any longer. The last three weeks were painfully boring without her friends. She didn't want to feel those feelings of betrayal, weakness and sadness anymore. She did hide them very well, but she was sure that people had seen it anyway.

_On that morning when Lucy came to the guild she was surprised that Team Natsu wasn't there. It was really unusual for them to come late so Lucy just assumed that they were still at home. Yesterday's party had ended later than usual, so it was alright if they wanted to sleep more. But as more time passed, Lucy became more and more aware of everyone's stares. And that started to really bother her. Had she forgotten to put clothes on or something? Or was there something on her face?!_

” _Why's everyone looking at me?” Lucy finally asked aloud._

” _Team Natsu left for a mission hours ago and you're still here”, Cana was first to answer. ”Why? Did you get pissed off at Natsu?”_

” _They left already?!” Lucy yelled, feeling betrayed. ”Why didn't they tell me they wanted to-”_

” _Lisanna went with them in your place”, Mira interrupted, looking confused. ”She said you told her that it was OK.”_

” _Huh? When did I say that?” Lucy asked, furrowing her eyebrows. ”I have no memory of such discussion.”_

” _Maybe you were drunk enough not to remember”, Cana grinned._

” _I wasn't!” Lucy defended herself._

” _Speaking of Team Natsu, I swear I saw Natsu leaving the guild with Lisanna quite early yesterday...” Cana wondered aloud. ”Nope, must be a dream”, she drank more booze from the barrel in front of her.  
”Our Natsu left with a girl from the party?” Macao laughed. ”Now that would be a sight to see.”_

” _I don't think Salamander even knows how to talk to girls, gihi”, Gajeel added._

_But Lucy didn't listen their discussion. Team Natsu had left for a mission this morning without her? Why? Lucy couldn't believe it. Did they suddenly change their minds and decide that Lucy wasn't worth it? Or that was she too weak? She hoped not, because if that was the case, they should have told her face to face. Lucy was sure she could handle it._

” _I'm sure you can go with them next time”, Mira cheered her up. ”In the meantime you could go for solo missions and call it training.”_

_Lucy smiled. Mirajane was right. That's exactly what she should do!_

” _Good idea, Mira. This way I can collect more money for my rent!”_

_And she did so._

_However, as days went by, Lucy realized that Lisanna was always with Team Natsu on their missions. That made Lucy sad. Were they really trying to hint that blonde shouldn't be in the team? Was it really so that Lisanna was a better choice? Or... was Lucy only a substitute member or something? If that was so, Lucy should probably just leave the guild and join another one that suit her better._

” _No, what the heck are you thinking?” Lucy scolded herself, while looking into the mirror in her house one morning three weeks after being out from the team. ”You wanted to join Fairy Tail since forever! You can't leave. Just create another team if Natsu and others doesn't want you to join theirs. That's all”, she added, and smiled to herself._

_She wouldn't get mad at them. They didn't deserve it._

_Except maybe Lisanna._

_Something just bothered Lucy about her. Blonde didn't know if it was only a illusion but Lisanna seemed way too satisfied with herself every time she glanced at Lucy's direction. At the time Lucy had no idea what was really going on though..._

Lucy clenched her fists together. Lisanna had been looking at her with a self satisfied smirk on her face because she was so happy that Team Natsu didn't care about Lucy at all. She was happy because they were looking at Lisanna. She was happy that Lucy had been in pain. Blonde had never felt more pissed off as she was right now.

”I'm gonna Lucy Kick her”, blonde growled. ”I can't believe she lied everyone about me wanting to be off the team for-”

”They're coming!” Happy interrupted Lucy's angry outburst. ”Look!”

Lucy saw her team approaching the guild. ”Happy, go tell the others to hide the Reverse Potion and I try to keep them outside as long as possible.”

”Aye sir!” Happy said and flew into the guild building.

”I can smell it again!” Natsu's voice shouted suddenly. He sniffled the air again. ”It stronger this way!” salmon haired young man hurried towards Lucy.

”Stop, Natsu!” Lisanna ordered.

_This is my cue,_ Lucy thought and walked towards her. ”Did you know that Memory Loss Potion will eventually erase everything from the victim's mind, Lisanna?”

”That's nonsense. How could a weakling like you know so much?”

”That's because I read a lot of books about magic unlike you, it seems. Natsu here”, Lucy put her hand purposely against his arm, ”will eventually forget you as well.”

Lisanna's eyes had a horrified look in them. ”No...”

”So it would be so much better if you just let us reverse the damage while we still can”, Lucy added.

”T-t-take your hands off him!” Lisanna suddenly yelled, looking at Natsu, who's eyes had a surprised look on his face as he looked at Lucy, who still held her hand on his arm.

”Where did you come from so suddenly?!” salmon haired man yelled. ”No... wait...” he sniffed the air. ”You smell like strawberries and vanilla!”

”I'm Lucy Heartfilia”, Lucy said as she took her hand away. ”Nice to meet you. Again.”

Natsu looked at Lisanna. ”You lied to me. You told me she's dead.”

”I-”

”You called her an evil sorceress who tried to destroy everyone!”

_Excuse me... what?_ Lucy thought.

”Lisanna seems to have a very wild imagination, Lucy. According to her you've been an evil sorceress who caused Natsu's memory loss”, Gray explained.

”Seriously?” Lucy asked, earning a nod from both Erza and Gray. ”Wow, that's very... crazy.”

”Lisanna, stay away from me! I'm not going to talk to you anymore!” Natsu told Lisanna, who was trying to take his hand into hers.

Lisanna turned to Lucy. ”I swear I'm going to revenge this, Lucy! This isn't over yet!”

She turned around and ran away.

”Oh hell, what is this pain in my head?” he asked as he massaged his forehead.

”Don't worry, Natsu, it's gonna be fine”, Lucy said. ”Your real memories are trying push through the barrier Lisanna's stupid Potion created.”

”So what happens now?” Erza asked. ”He suffers from headaches until the Reverse Potion is ready?”

”I guess so”, Lucy said. ”But at least my plan to separate these two was a success.”

”I thought so”, Gray grinned. ”Oi, Flame Brain, where are you going?”

”To the guild obviously. I remembered I've been ignoring Happy way too long!” Natsu said and ran away, too.

”We better follow him in case Lisanna appears out of nowhere and ruins everything again”, Lucy said.

_The day when the journey to Marjorie Town was supposed to begin was a disturbing day for Natsu. He wasn't able to take that sweet, familiar smell out of his mind. It was someone who he didn't remember. Someone who he wanted to remember. Someone very dear to him. If he tried hard enough, he remembered a name – Lucy. But who was she? Happy and the others had been talking about this girl a lot recently but Natsu only pretended to know what they talked about._

_It was horrible._

_And when he asked Lisanna, her expression was unreadable when she said things like, ”Why do you care, Natsu? She was evil, and the guild got rid of her already” and ”You don't want to remember what she did to you and me. That's why you can't remember us very well.” Whenever Natsu heard those things, somewhere deep inside himself he doubted they were the truth._

_But he never mentioned it to Lisanna._

_But the morning when Team Natsu was going to leave, Natsu decided to go to the guild earlier than others to ask about this Lucy girl. He had noticed that Lisanna rarely let him chat with other members these days_ _so this was his only chance to find some clues. That's why he made sure that she didn't wake up. He dressed up and sneaked out of the window._

_When he reached the guild, everyone looked at him in surprise. Natsu was sure it was because it was unusual for him to come to the guild without Lisanna._

” _Natsu, this is very unusual for you these days. Is something wrong?” Mirajane asked._

” _I bet he has issues with his girlfriend”, Cana teased. She was sitting on the table with a beer barrel in front of her._

” _I got no issues with Lisanna”, Natsu said. ”I just wanna know who this Lucy is whom everyone keeps talking about all the time.”_

” _What did he just say?” Gajeel asked, sounding surprised. ”He doesn't remember Bunny Girl?”_

_Natsu furrowed his eyebrows. Was Lisanna right of calling Lucy evil after all?_

” _Lucy Heartfilia is your best friend”, Mira answered. ”You brought her to the guild yourself. Why don't you remember her?”_

” _How can I remember someone I don't even see?! Until yesterday...” Natsu went quiet. Yesterday when he was shopping with Lisanna, he smelt a vague scent of strawberries and vanilla all the time. Everywhere. He didn't let it bother him at first, but the scent became stronger when they entered the florist's shop. Eventually that smell distracted him so much that he wanted to follow it. He saw a vague line of someone running out of the shop and the scent followed that person. Was that this Lucy girl people were talking about?_

” _What happened yesterday?” asked Gray, who entered the guild hall._

” _Nothing you should be worried about, Ice Princess”, Natsu snapped._

” _Sure thing, Flame Brain”, raven haired boy answered. ”We gotta leave now. Train leaves in 15 minutes.”_

” _Can't we just walk?” Natsu complained._

” _It would take us 3 days to get to that town”, Erza said._

” _Natsu, why didn't you wait for me to wake up?” Lisanna asked, dropping down two heavy travel bags full of her's and Natsu's stuff.  
”I wanted to spend some time alone”, Natsu lied. _

_Something just told him, 'don't tell Lisanna anything. Lucy might be in danger'. He didn't know why, but he wanted to protect this Lucy person from everything and everyone. Maybe talking with Erza and Gray would help him to figure out this annoying mystery._

” _Where's Happy?” Lisanna asked._

” _He ate too much red snapper yesterday and felt sick so we decided he'll stay here”, Erza said, looking serious. ”Lucy will take care of him.”_

_Natsu saw how Lisanna's eyes had a hint of annoyance in them. Something told him to stay quiet and observe this weird tension in the group. With that thought in mind Natsu stepped out of the guild and followed the rest of the team. And then he smelt it again. Strawberries and vanilla. He decided not to care about it now. He would figure these things out later, probably with Erza and Gray. Now all he needed was a chance to talk to them._

”Natsu!” Happy greeted as salmon haired young man entered the guild.

”Hey, Happy”, Natsu said grinning. ”I think I owe you a apology. Recently I've been a idiot towards you, haven't I?”

”You totally have! Next time you make sure that a girl won't come between us!” blue Exceed yelled and threw the cup in his paw towards Natsu. It hit him on the forehead.

”Ouch! I deserved that, huh?” he said rubbing his head.

”Definitely!”

”Well, I'm sorry. We'll go fishing tomorrow, okay? Just us and nobody else”, Natsu offered. Happy's expression changed to a delighted one. ”Aye sir!”

”We gotta keep them away from each other for a day or so for now”, rang Lucy's voice to Natsu's ears from outside. ”Reverse Potion needs that much time to be ready”

”I wonder how that's gonna work out”, Gray wondered aloud.

”Maybe Natsu should stay in your house until then”, Erza offered.

”In Lucy's house?!” Natsu yelled. ”I don't even know her!”

”Oh, you know her well enough to sleep in her bed every night, Natsu”, Gray said.

”WHAT?!” Natsu yelled in shock.

”You do!” Happy joined in. ”Because you liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiike her!”

” _Happy!”_ Natsu and Lucy yelled at the same time.

Happy just smirked and flew higher so they couldn't reach him. ”You can't catch me~”

”Get back here, kitty!” Lucy yelled, but Happy didn't listen.

******

Lisanna stood at the open guild doors and clenched her fists. Her wonderful plan was screwed. Everyone would heal Natsu's memories and then Lisanna would have to run away. But that didn't annoy her as much as the fact that Natsu was starting to remember Lucy. Ever since she had touched his arm, he had been able to see her again.

_I think I should be angry at myself on that part. I forgot Lucy reads books,_ she thought.

_Lisanna had been looking for help to get things back to the way they were once. That's why she had been going to missions with her brother and sister very often. Everyone else thought they just wanted to spend time together, but that was only one of those reasons. Secretly Lisanna was trying to find something that could help her to get what she wanted the most. She didn't want to go back in time, that would be stupid, and the Magic Council would eventually find it out anyway so the only way to make things better for Lisanna and Natsu was to do something in the present._

_When Lisanna finally found a perfect way to change things, she couldn't believe the answer was in the guild's own library. It was a stormy night two weeks after her return from Edolas. She was cleaning up in the room, humming to a song that had been playing in her mind for days now, and happened to find a book laying on the floor in the farthest corner. She picked it up, swiped some dust off and looked at it._

” _'Potions for All Purposes'? Sounds interesting”, Lisanna mumbled and opened it randomly from a page that's subject was Memory Loss Potion._

” _'Causes the victim of the Potion to lose their memories of a event or a person user doesn't want them to remember'. Oh my, this is the answer!” she said and did a small victory dance. Finally things were starting to go towards the right direction! ”Ha, soon he'll be mine only!” She looked at the ingredients list and decided to rip off the page from the book to keep it with herself. Then she put the book into the shelf and kept cleaning the room smile on her face._

_Things would change soon._

_But then I noticed the recipe said that brewing this Potion would take seven years... but I still went for it. Getting frozen in time in Tenroujima was a good thing though,_ Lisanna thought and took the page from her pocket and ripped it into pieces. That stupid potion only made things harder. She should have used it on Lucy too, but so that she'll forget Natsu for the rest of her life. That way Lisanna would have been more successful. She dropped the pieces on the floor. Nobody else could never use the Potion now.

Especially on her.

Lisanna was pretty sure that there was someone in the guild thinking that making her drink Memory Loss Potion would be a good idea. Lisanna wasn't going to let it happen. Natsu will always be the only one who drank it. Now Lisanna just had to make sure that he got close to roses and violettas so the effect would continue. And then she would pack their bags, burn Natsu's house down and make everyone think they died when in the reality they would be living somewhere else.

_That's a perfect plan!_ Lisanna thought and smiled evilly as she watched how Natsu went to sit with the rest of the Team Natsu and they started chatting.

_Enjoy as long as you can, Lucy. Soon he won't be here anymore,_ white haired girl thought, turned around and walked outside.

******

”So you say we met in Hargeon?” Natsu asked from Lucy – who was carrying sleeping Happy in her arms – later that night when they were walking together outside towards Lucy's house. They had made a deal that Natsu and Happy go to her place for the night. Of course many other members of the guild had teased them of it, but Lucy decided not to care. After all, Natsu did have a habit of sleeping in Lucy's bed.

”Yep, we did”, Lucy answered. ”I was completely charmed by that fake Salamander, but your appearance broke the spell.”

”Interesting. I don't remember seeing you that day”, Natsu said. ”I remember punching him though.”

”Well, he deserved it.”

”You're right!”

Lucy smiled. It was nice to talk with Natsu even though he didn't fully remember everything. But at least he acknoledged Lucy's presence and for now, that was enough to her. She suddenly realized how lonely she had actually felt when she couldn't hang out with Team Natsu. It was pretty scary how attached to everyone she had become.

”I hope you got some food in your house because I'm starvin'”, Natsu disturbed Lucy's thoughts.

”Of course, but didn't you eat at the guild?” Lucy asked.

”I forgot...”

”How can you forget something so important?”

”Blame yourself, weirdo!”

”Oh, shut it, Natsu”, Lucy laughed.

”Shut it, I'm trying to sleep”, Happy murmured.

”Oh, sorry, Happy-”

”Blame it on Luce. She's so weird”, Natsu said. He fell silent. ”Why did I call you Luce?”

”It's the nickname you gave her”, Happy sleepily said. ”Luigi is better though.”

”No, it's not, Happy”, Lucy hastily said. ”Luce is fine enough, Natsu-” She stopped. Where was Natsu? ”Natsu, where did you- NO!”

”What? Where's the fire?” Happy said, suddenly wide awake.

Lisanna had appeared out of nowhere with a bouquet of roses and violettas.

And she had pressed that bouquet into Natsu's face so that he had no other option than to breathe in the scent.

Lucy couldn't believe this was happening! Not again! Just as she had gotten a chance to finally talk to her best friend, this horrible... _bitch_ was going to steal him away again!

”Natsu, don't smell those flowers!” Lucy yelled.

”Ha, it still works”, Lisanna said as Natsu dropped on his knees. She kneeled and raised Natsu's head so that he could see Lucy. ”Forget the evil sorceress, and her evil blue cat, Natsu. Out of sight, out of mind.”

”N-n-no...” Natsu tried to say, but his eyes closed no matter how much he tried to fight back.

”How _dare_ you do this to him?!” Lucy yelled at Lisanna. ”Are you crazy?! That potion will make him lose everything!”

”I honestly don't care”, Lisanna snapped. ”He will keep his promise he made to me!”

”That was years ago and people change!” Lucy shouted. ”You can't force him to be with you! That's not love!”

”Yeah, says the person who stole him from me in the first place. Why don't you just leave, Lucy? You're so damn pathetic”, Lisanna said.

Natsu started to move again. ”What happened...?” he asked.

”Someone attacked you, love”, Lisanna said and leaned in for a kiss. ”Everything's fine now that I saved you from the evil sorceress.”

”That's awesome!” Natsu grinned. ”Why don't we go home now? I think laying on the ground is really unpleasant.”

Lisanna nodded and stood up. She helped Natsu stand up as well, and they started walking back towards the guild. Lucy couldn't keep herself together anymore and tears fell from her eyes. How could she be so stupid to think that there would be no need to worry about Lisanna's next move? Why wasn't she more careful?

”Lucy...” Happy began, looking really sad. ”She made him forget me, too...”

”It's alright, Happy. We still have the Reverse Potion... I hope...”

”Lucy!” Gray's voice called. ”What's going on? I saw Natsu going towards his house with Lisanna”, he added as he and Erza caught up with the blonde.

”Lisanna appeared out of nowhere and made him forget me. AGAIN. What's more, she made him forget Happy too!” Lucy said, feeling angry. ”I want to hurt that bitch so bad now...”

”Hey, calm down”, Gray said. ”We still have the Reverse Potion. It's hidden in a place where Lisanna can't get to it. It's protected with spells so she will never have a chance to destroy it.”

”Now there's no other option”, Erza said, serious look on her face. ”We have to kidnap Natsu and lock him up somewhere so Lisanna can't find him.”

”When is the Potion ready?” Lucy asked, feeling new kind of determination.

”Freed said it may be ready tomorrow, but we should use it on Natsu day after tomorrow.”

”Good. Then we'll make sure Lisanna gets it”, blonde murmured. ”I'm going to my place now to calm myself down. Happy can stay there, too.”

And with that, Lucy turned her back on Gray and Erza and kept walking towards her house.


	4. Weakness Of The Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new character will make her first appearance in this chapter! She will be present a lot, and is inspired by the Evil Queen/Regina Mills from Once Upon A Time. :)

_Lisanna was smiling happily. She had finally finished with the Potion! It had taken seven years to make it. White substance was in a glass bottle that blonde had bought as a souvenir for Mirajane on one of the missions they went to._

_After they came back to Magnolia, Lisanna went to check out the Potion in her room and was happy to see that it was complete. She put it into the bottle._

” _And I'm definitely not going to forget you, Lucy. You're going to get it now”, Lisanna whispered quietly. ”Now all I have to do is to figure out how to make Natsu drink this without getting caught...”_

_Making the potion was hard but making Natsu drink it would be harder because he would smell it easily. And more than that, there was also Happy who followed Natsu everywhere. Lisanna had to be careful with her plan. Even the smallest mistake at this point would cause her to lose everything. Memory Loss Potion was – and always will be – a illegal creation of dark magic. Lisanna would get in serious trouble if the word of it in her disposal would get to the Council. She was going to make sure that it won't happen._

” _I'm just going to keep this with me and give it to him when I have a chance”, Lisanna mumbled and put the bottle into her pocket._

_Today was the big day._

_Today she will get what she wanted and Lucy would get what she deserved for stealing Lisanna's man._

When Lucy Heartfilia woke up that morning, she couldn't help but feel lonely.

More lonely than before.

It was all because of what had happened last night. She still couldn't take that horrible scene out of her mind. Helpless Natsu getting flowers shoved into his face so he could lose control of himself. It was so cruel, so evil! Lucy had a hard time to believe that Mirajane and Elfman had a sister who was capable to do such a thing. It made her really sad. She was sure that they were sad because of Lisanna's behavior these days. Lucy wished she understood Lisanna better but she just couldn't.

She sighed and got out of bed.

It was time to start the day and then pretend that she didn't care about Natsu being with Lisanna again. It was horrible enough when Natsu didn't remember Lucy, but now he had forgotten Happy as well. Lucy couldn't stand it.

”I will make him drink that Potion no matter what happens”, Lucy mumbled. ”Lisanna won't stop us.”

”I agree”, said Happy, who was laying on her bed his face against her blanket.

”What are you doing?” blonde asked.

”Pretending that yesterday didn't happen”, blue Exceed answered. He sat up on the bed, and looked very sad.

”We'll be able to fix this whole thing tomorrow, Happy. Then Natsu will be with us again”, Lucy told him. ”Are you hungry? There's still some red snapper in the fridge for you”, she added.

”Yes please”, Happy said, his eyes brightening up at once.

”You're not going to eat it on my bed.”

After breakfast, Lucy and Happy decided to go to the guild. They had to figure out how separate Natsu and Lisanna so that someone could kidnap him. As Lucy entered the building, she saw right away that she shouldn't be too loud when she spoke of Natsu's kidnapping. He and Lisanna were sitting by the bar and eating each other's faces. As much as Lucy tried to look like she didn't care, her heart felt like it broke into million little pieces. It really hurt so she turned around and let her gaze travel through the hall. Soon she located Erza and Gray sitting in one of the tables and went there. She sat down and sighed.

”This is so painful”, she murmured.

”He'll be fine tomorrow”, Gray murmured. ”But it's pretty dangerous to talk about kidnappings when they're in the same room.”

”And it would be even more suspicious if we just went somewhere else to talk about it”, Erza said. ”She's been watching us intently ever since she walked in.”

Lucy growled. ”This whole thing is starting to annoy me more and more by each passing second.”

”We know, Lucy. We feel the same way. Natsu's even more annoying than ever before”, Gray said and glared at the direction of the said Dragon Slayer. ”He's just showing off all the time and Lisanna cheers him on. It's even worse than before.”

”Oh, Natsu, let's go on a mission!” Lisanna shouted, looking excited.

” _Open your heart to me, Lucy Heartfilia, and we shall destroy that woman together”,_ whispered a voice in Lucy's mind.

”Sure, let's ask others to join us and go”, Natsu said.

” _If you give in to me, Natsu Dragneel will be yours very soon”,_ whispering voice added. Lucy felt horrified by how tempting the offer actually was.

”No, just the two of us”, Lisanna said quickly. ”I'd love to spend more time with you alone...” While she spoke, she looked at Lucy's direction, who didn't even bother looking at her. It was obvious that girl was just trying to piss Lucy off as best as possible. But she had decided that she won't let Lisanna push her buttons.

” _You shouldn't let Lisanna Strauss do these things to you. She thinks you're weak, Lucy. If you give in to me, you could be stronger. She would be nothing but a cockroach compared to us together”,_ whispering voice said and the offer sounded even more tempting than before.

”Alright then”, Natsu agreed. ”Is it ok with you, Erza and Gray?”

”Well, we weren't planning to go on mission today anyway so go ahead”, Erza said.

”Right. Let's go then, Lis. You can pick one”, pinkette's attention turned back to Lisanna, who nodded and made her way to the request board, picked one and gave it to Mirajane, who signed it and then the ”couple” left.

”Juvia thinks love rival should have stopped that”, Juvia told Lucy.

” _She's right, Lucy. You should have stopped them, but you sat there like a coward that you are”,_ whispering voice mocked her.

” _Shut up, whoever you are. Why don't you help us instead of mocking me?”_ Lucy said, finally acknoledging the another presence in her mind. Menacing laugh filled her mind at once.

” _Just pretend everything's fine, Lucy Heartfilia..._ ” voice laughed some more.

”It's alright, Juvia. Tomorrow he'll drink the Potion. Let Lisanna enjoy her time with him for a moment”, Lucy answered to Juvia.

”How are we going to do this?” Gajeel asked.

Lucy smiled. ”I have a perfect plan in my mind...”

” _Good girl, you will be rewarded”,_ voice whispered its praise to Lucy.

_Guild was partying that night for some reason Lisanna wasn't sure of. But she honestly didn't care. All she wanted to do was to wait until the guild was about to pass out so she could go and take Natsu with her._

_It was time she put her plan into action._

_She served drinks for everyone with Mirajane, smiling happily to everyone._

_When people started to pass out from drinking and some began to head home, Lisanna saw her chance. Happy was too occupied with having fun with his Exceed friends to notice how white haired girl approached Natsu._

” _Hey, come with me for a moment”, she told him quietly._

” _Oh, alright”, Natsu said and stood up. ”Where're we goin'?”_

” _Somewhere where we can be alone for a moment. Come on”, Lisanna said and grabbed his hand and began to guide him out from the guild building. Natsu followed her, of course._

” _Where are we goin'?” Natsu asked._

” _I was thinking we could go to your place and spend time together. Nothing special”, Lisanna shrugged._

” _We forgot Happy!”_

” _He can take care of himself, Natsu.”_

” _But-”_

” _Don't you think it would be nice to spend time together? Like just the two of us?”_

” _What the-” Natsu looked confused._

_Lisanna wanted to sigh, why was she in love with a guy like this? ”You really are stupid sometimes, you know”, she said. ”We need this, Natsu. Trust me.”_

” _Okay then, but I think I'll go fetch Happy after the talk”, Natsu compromised, still not understanding what Lisanna was trying to say._

_Well, soon he would understand Lisanna's words perfectly. She smiled as she guided him towards his house – place she would later call her own house. She would have to make it cozy for herself and Natsu and then they would be a perfect little family with Happy as the kid. It would be perfect! Just like old times!_

_As they finally reached Natsu's house and went in, Lisanna told Natsu to sit down on the sofa while she went to get them something to drink from the kitchen. White haired girl took two cups from the cabinet and put them on the table. Then she looked around to find something drinkable, and was only able to find cola soda. Lisanna felt annoyed. That must have been there because of goddamn Lucy. Well, the irony was that Lucy's drink would erase Natsu's memories of her soon and with that, she grinned and put some of the soda into the cups – blue and red. Then she took the Memory Loss Potion from her pocket and dropped it all into Natsu's blue, chipped cup. Then she put the bottle away and took the cups into her hands._

” _Did you actually find something drinkable, Lis?” Natsu asked as Lisanna returned to the living room._

” _I'm very talented at finding stuff in a mess like this, Natsu”, Lisanna said as she sat down on the sofa. She offered the blue cup to Natsu while she herself took the red one._

_Natsu emptied the cup before Lisanna even could take a sip. She felt excitement take over her at that moment. Natsu put the cup on the table and furrowed his eyebrows._

” _This one had a strange after taste. Is it rotten?”_

” _Soda doesn't get rotten, Natsu”, Lisanna said and giggled a bit._

” _Whatever”, Natsu said. He stood up. ”I think I'm gonna fetch Happy now.”_

_But at that moment he lost his balance and fell on his knees. ”What the...”_

” _Don't worry, Natsu”, Lisanna spoke calmly as she stood up. ”You'll be fine soon”, she added as she went to Natsu who was trying his best to crawl out of the house._

_Lisanna stopped him by kneeling down and turned him around so he laid on his back on the floor._

” _You...” Natsu mumbled, trying to look furious. ”You tricked me...”_

” _Don't worry, Natsu, you'll be fine soon. I promise. Let your memories of Lucy to disappear. Out of sight, out of mind...”_

To Natsu Dragneel, the atmosphere at the guild hall that morning had been very tense. Just like it usually was before a storm begun. He was pretty sure that others were hiding something from him. But he had no idea what it was. Also, something about this whole thing with Lisanna really bugged him. He was pretty sure something had happened yesterday. Something more than just that 'dark sorceress' appearing. That's what he had been told by Lisanna. But... something just didn't feel right.

”Natsu, it feels so weird to see you thinking”, Lisanna said while passing him in her waitress outfit.

Natsu thought she looked fabulous. ”You look good, Lis.”

”You need to concentrate on the job so we'll get the reward, Natsu”, white haired girl said. She smiled. ”And thanks, Natsu.”

”I am concentrated!” Natsu protested.

”You're not if you gaze into the distance lost in thought like that.”

Natsu decided to say nothing at that. She was kinda right after all.

_But that doesn't calm my feeling of discomfort at all. Something's up. I swear,_ he thought as he started to hand out the papers in his hand again. They were ads for a party that this restaurant was going to have later that week. Natsu didn't really care what it was because he won't be going anyway. He had a feeling that this week will end terribly.

”Natsu!” Romeo's voice called from the distance. He sounded breathless and in panic. ”Natsu!”

”What's up, Romeo?” Natsu asked.

”It's bad, the dark sorceress who attacked you yesterday is back!”

”What? Where?!” Natsu said and threw the papers to the ground. He also burned away the stupid mascot outfit – he had his own clothes on beneath it – and looked around.

”Romeo, where is the woman?”

”I'm not sure. I didn't see it! I know that Gajeel and Pantherlily led her into the city!” Romeo answered, looking like someone who couldn't believe what he was saying.

”Gajeel and Pantherlily?” Lisanna said. ”How could they betray everyone like that?”

”Ask them!” Romeo said and pointed towards the said duo, who were walking towards the guild looking like they were ready to destroy everything in sight.

”I've always known we can't trust that Metalhead!” Natsu yelled and ran after him. ”Come on, Lis, we gotta stop them!”

”I'm coming!” Lisanna yelled. ”These heels are going to kill me...” she murmured as she went past Romeo, who stayed behind.

Natsu himself didn't care at that point. He was so annoyed by Gajeel's behavior that he didn't see how satisfied Romeo actually looked because of Natsu's and Lisanna's reaction.

After chasing down Gajeel and Pantherlily Natsu and Lisanna had to admit that they had lost their tracks. Even the part of the town didn't seem familiar. Natsu had thought he had always known where everything was in Magnolia, but this part of the town was completely unfamiliar.

”I don't think this is supposed to be here”, Lisanna whispered. ”Let's go back, Natsu.”

”I think you're right. Let's go”, Natsu agreed and the duo turned around... just to see that the path they had used had a very evil looking woman standing there with a menacing smirk on her face. She was wearing a long black dress with a cloack attached to her back.

”Who the hell are you supposed to be?!” Natsu asked her.

”I am the shadow of a woman you cannot remember”, woman said. ”And that shadow will be the demise of Lisanna Strauss.”

”What, me? Why?!” Lisanna yelled.

Evil woman teleported herself in front of her and smiled. ”Soon you will learn the truth of me and then you will meet your fate.”

”I don't know what you're talking about”, Lisanna said.

”You will see eventually”, evil woman said and snapped her fingers.

Lisanna fell unconcious to the ground. Then she turned around to face Natsu, who could feel the danger stronger than ever. He had to defend himself, but something about that face of hers just didn't let him.

Evil sorceress smiled. ”I see. Even though you can't remember her, you still can't fight me. Heart is such a traitorous thing, isn't it, Natsu Dragneel?”

Natsu couldn't look into her eyes, which made the woman giggle. A cold, heartless giggle. This menace was probably full of darkness.

”I can't have my way with you”, evil sorceress said. She looked sideways to the alleyway. ”Isn't that right, Gajeel Redfox?” She then took few steps back. ”There will be a next time soon... _Very soon_ ”, she said before a black smoke surrounded her and she disappeared.

Natsu fell on the ground on his knees. Why wasn't he able to attack that woman?! Why... was it that she was his weakness?!

”Salamander, are you OK?” Gajeel asked.

”Aren't you on the same side with that woman, traitor?” Natsu asked.

”Oh yeah, I was supposed to be”, Gajeel said and smacked Natsu to the side of his head so hard that he fell unconcious.

”Do you think you hit him a bit too hard?” Elfman asked as he came through the alleyway.

”I wonder”, Pantherlily said as Gajeel picked Natsu up. ”Who was the woman who acted exactly as the plan was meant to be carried out?”

”It wasn't Mira, was it?” Gajeel asked Elfman, who just picked up his sister.

”No, that woman was someone else”, he answered.

” _Forget everything you remember about Lucy Heartfilia”, Lisanna whispered to him. ”She came between us and stopped us from making our promise true. There's no one else you need but me.”_

_Natsu couldn't move. After taking that cup of cola soda he had been offered by Lisanna, dizziness had taken over him. Room seemed to be circling in his eyes, and every muscle in his body became heavy._

_Had it been poison of some kind?_

_But there was no pain!_

_What was happening?!_

_He then felt how Lisanna came and raised his head on her lap. Her closeness felt so wrong._

” _Don't worry, you'll be fine soon”, Lisanna whispered gently to his ear._

_Something was terribly wrong._

_He could feel how every memory of Lucy, who he cared about the most in this world slowly faded away from his mind._

_Lisanna just sat on the living room's floor, holding his head. She wasn't the one he wanted her to be – not even close!_

_But he couldn't even tell her to go away._

” _Out of sight, out of mind”, Lisanna hummed on. ”It's going to be better this way. You would have never been with her anyway. She doesn't know you, nor does she deserve your friendship. Let the memories fade. Forget her very existence.”_

_As the memories faded away slowly, he couldn't help but feel scared._

_Why would this happen to him?_

_Why did this happen to him?_

_Why not someone else?_

_Why does it have to be him?_

” _It has to be you because we made a promise”, Lisanna said. ”You will soon remember, and we'll be together, my love.”_

_Love? He thought. No way..._

” _Close your eyes. When you wake up, you'll be fine again”, Lisanna said gently as his eyes started to close._

” _I'm your girlfriend from now on until forever, Natsu. When you wake up, you'll kiss me. I love you”, white haired girl added and leaned in to kiss Natsu, who was trying to fight back but the tiredness took over him._

_He felt so tired._

_Too tired to even stand it._

_As he let sleep take him, he saw a pair of blue eyes victorious glint in them..._

Natsu opened his eyes. He had seen a weird dream. Lisanna had been there holding him, whispering weird things to him while Natsu was helplessly thinking, 'I can't forget her!'. Lisanna's eyes were full of victory when the dream ended. Why did she look so evil there? Also, in the same dream there had been a blue cat and a blonde, brown eyed girl whom had made Natsu's heart race in a way nobody else could. The moment those two disappeared from Natsu's memories in the dream, he felt scared – how could he live without those two? How could he live without his two bestest friends?

”That evil woman looked like that blonde in my dream”, Natsu murmured.

Were they the same person? What if they were? What had possibly turned that smiling blonde into such a cold creature who only wanted to bring chaos to his mind? Natsu did remember that at some point he had been told how a evil sorceress had attacked him. Was the evil woman he met today the same person?

”Natsu, are you alright?” Erza's voice disturbed his thoughts.

Only then did Natsu realize that this room he was in wasn't in his house or at the guild.

”Erza, where am I?” he asked.

”In a safe place. We had to separate you from Lisanna to help you with this memory loss issue”, Erza answered. ”You are to stay in this room until I'm allowed to take you to the guild.”

”Are you in alliance with that evil woman from earlier?!” Natsu yelled, suspicious.

”What evil woman?” Erza asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

”That evil woman who attacked me today in Magnolia!”

”I have no idea what you're talking about. Nobody has told me about this attack you're so worked up for. You should calm down, Natsu. Everything will be fixed soon”, redhead knight said and with that, she turned around and left the room.

Natsu was able to catch a glimpse of Freed casting his script magic on the doorway.

”I can't believe I got locked into this room!” Natsu yelled, feeling frustrated.

_When Natsu finally woke up the next morning, he had no memory of how he had ended up sleeping on the floor in his house. He only remembered how he had been at the guild and then left with Lisanna. He had no memory of what he had done after that. He's memory stopped at the doorway of his house. Was he really that drunk? He never drank that much!_

” _Are you alright, Natsu?” Lisanna's voice asked as Natsu sat up._

” _Why am I sleepin' on the floor?” he asked confused._

” _You don't remember?”_

” _I only remember we came here and stepped in. After that everything's blank.”_

” _It's fine, Natsu. I saved you from that evil witch. For some reason she was after your blood but she's gone now.”_

” _I was attacked? Why don't I remember anything?”_

” _It's a side effect of a spell she used on you. It'll go off in few days. Don't worry.”_

” _Alright then”, Natsu said, grinning. ”Do you have food on the table for me, too?”_

” _Of course, honey, come get some.”_

_Natsu grinned again and stood up, and made his way to the sofa. He saw next to Lisanna, who immediately pressed her lips on his cheek._

_Natsu smiled at her._

_He remembered one thing – he definitely loved this beautiful, white haired, blue eyed woman._

_Or so he was made to think._

”She knew our names”, Pantherlily told everyone at the guild after returning there with Gajeel. Elfman had brought his sister home. Everyone was in shock after hearing their story of a unknown female menace who made Natsu Dragneel unable to defend himself and his friend.

”He just stood there looking confused, and then averted her gaze which made that woman say 'I see. Even though you can't remember her, you still can't fight me. Heart is such a traitorous thing, isn't it, Natsu Dragneel?'. After that she laughed at him and then I decided to disturb the meeting. Things got really dangerous at that point”, Gajeel said.

”Sounds like there's something more to this than just Memory Loss Potion”, Makarov said. ”We have to investigate this after we fix what Lisanna did to Natsu.”

”I hope it's not related to that Potion in any way”, Gray said. ”This might turn ugly.”

”First things first”, Makarov said. ”We'll help Natsu first, and then investigate what that sorceress is planning, alright?”

Everyone murmured in agreement.

”Does anyone know where Lucy went, by the way?” asked Wendy. ”I think she'd like to know that we were successful with our plan.”

”She said she wasn't feeling well so she went home to rest”, Happy answered. ”We can tell her later. I'm sure she will be happy!”


	5. Her Tools Of Darkness (Part 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this chapter is split in two parts because it was a bit too long when I wrote it so I decided to post it in 2 parts. :)

When Lisanna woke up that morning, first thing she noticed was that Natsu wasn't laying there on the bed with her. He was nowhere to be found. Then she realized that she wasn't even in Natsu's house. She was in her old room in the Strauss' Fairy Hills apartment! But why was she here and not where she should be? Lisanna didn't understand what was going on.

Something was wrong. She was sure of it.

Something was very, very wrong.

She decided it was time to get out from the bed and go find Natsu, but as she tried to move, something stopped her. She looked around, furrowing her eyebrows and noticed her hands were tied to the head of the bed. Why was that? Was she playing some kind of kinky games with Natsu again and passed out in the middle of it?

_No, that's not it..._ Lisanna thought.

She furrowed her eyebrows again. Yesterday she and Natsu were on a mission when Romeo came to tell them that the dark sorceress who had attacked Natsu the day before – that was what Lisanna had told him – had returned and that Gajeel and Pantherlily let her in. Natsu and Lisanna went and chased them until they arrived on an alley where they were cornered by the said dark sorceress.

”So I'm supposed to lay here until they make Natsu drink that damn Potion, huh?” Lisanna wondered aloud, realizing what was really happening. ”Pathetic. He's already broken beyond repair. Just let him live his life with broken memories, idiots!”

She shook her head. It was nonsense. She honestly didn't believe that Natsu's memories will be repaired. Memory Loss Potion was a strong magic potion, and Lisanna had made sure that it's as strong as possible. So there would be no way that such a weak potion like Reverse Potion could fix anything.

Even if they were able to make Natsu see Lucy and Happy again, his memories wouldn't change. He would only see them as the dark sorceress and her evil kitty minion and attack them. So for their safety it would better if Natsu lived as if they didn't exist to him.

”But you idiots think you can actually make it all better by forcing him to drink another potion”, Lisanna mumbled and tried to get her hands free once more but it was no use.

”Dammit. I need to get outta here and fast, find Natsu and leave this stupid city. We can't stay here any longer”, she added to the air. ”Now the only problem I have is that I'm imprisoned...”

”You're not going anywhere, Lisanna”, said Elfman's voice from the shadows. It was so sudden that Lisanna shrieked in horror. ”Don't scare me like that, Elfman!”

”I'm sorry”, Elfman said and stood up. He had a disappointed look on his face as he walked out from the shadows. ”Why did you do this to Natsu, sis? Why did you erase Lucy and Happy from his memories?”

”Because they were on my way to Natsu, of course”, Lisanna said. _Elfman will surely see things from my point of view..._ she thought. ”They didn't let me hang out with him at all. They always found a way to take him away from me and-”

”I would never force someone to be with me like you did”, Elfman interrupted. ”What you have done is considered illegal, Lisanna. We would have to inform the Council about this.”

”Oh, I don't think you have to”, Lisanna said. ”I'm your sister.”

”No, Lisanna. When you behave this way, you're not the sister I grew up with.”

”But Lucy doesn't deserve Natsu! Why do everyone think they're so great together when they obviously aren't?! Also, she's a bookworm, she's violent, she's just... too nice! And too weak!”

”Lisanna, this isn't who you really are”, said Mirajane's voice from the doorway. ”You've changed. And not in a good way. You're full of anger and hate every day. What has happened to you?”

”It's all Lucy's fault!” Lisanna told them, feeling annoyed.

Why didn't anyone else see what kind of a evil temptress Lucy Heartfilia really was? Why didn't anyone see her like Lisanna saw her? Lucy was pure evil behind those brown eyes of hers. There was something _dark_ behind all that sweetness. Lisanna was sure of it. And after yesterday she was even more convinced that the blonde was dangerous as hell. She threatened Lisanna!

”She threatened to kill me yesterday! You're all possessed by her magic if you don't believe me! I'm only trying to keep Natsu away from her. That way she will never be able to hurt him! We should stop playing these games and destroy her when we still have a chance, Mira!” Lisanna said and wondered where those words even came from.

”Lisanna, you're wrong”, Mirajane said sadly. ”Lucy is one of the most kindest members of our guild. Why do you think she's evil?”

”Because she is! Kindest ones are always the most evil ones!” Lisanna said. ”And by being that way she was able to make Natsu like herself... Dammit, just let me free. I'll show you what's up.”

”We can't, Lisanna. Master gave us strict orders to keep you here until Natsu has taken the Potion”, Mirajane answered.

”Pfft, that Potion is nothing but a bluff”, Lisanna said. ”I bet that thing doesn't even really exist and Lucy just spoke of it just to get a chance to touch my man. But don't worry, when I get free, I'll go get Natsu wherever the hell he is and we will leave. You will never see us again.”

”No, Lisanna. You can't get out of here. We have used protection spells on this house to prevent your escape. I suggest you calm down and just accept that you have lost in your little game. By midnight tonight Natsu will take the Potion and be healed. Then we will decide what to do with you. You have broken the rules of the guild, not to mention that you have broken the laws of magic itself”, Mirajane explained quietly. ”Come on, Elfman. We have to inform the guild.”

”Right, sis”, Elfman answered and followed his older sister out of the door.

”Just you wait and see”, Lisanna mumbled. ”This isn't over yet. Not by a long shot...”

******

Erza was feeling very confused while she was going to the house where Natsu was held as a prisoner. Yesterday she had heard that there had been someone else present during the Operation Separation. Mirajane had been the one who was supposed to use a disguise in order to lure Natsu and Lisanna into the illusion alley trap where the two would be put asleep. Then Elfman and Gajeel would carry the two into separate houses where they would be kept until the Reverse Potion was ready for Natsu. Despite the sudden changes in the plan, it had still worked very well.

But Erza couldn't help but feel troubled because when Natsu woke up, he had been in complete panic. It was quite a rare sight so Erza assumed that something had happened. Or was it just Mirajane, who had taken her acting a little bit over the top? Or had something happened to her and there really was someone else there?

”From what I heard at the guild”, Freed said as Erza finished talking, ”It sounds like Mirajane never left her house yesterday. It was someone else in the alley. And Natsu's reaction also indicates that that's exactly what happened. It might have been Lucy herself.”

”How? Happy said she was sick”, Erza said, furrowing her eyebrows.

She was getting a headache because this mystery was getting more and more complicated as time went by.

”Everyone knows Natsu and Lucy has something deeper going on than just friendship, Erza. According to Gajeel and Pantherlily Natsu couldn't even look at that woman in black. And since we are dealing with a very ancient magic potion we don't even know much yet, we have no idea how this is affecting Lucy. The last time Memory Loss Potion was used was 300 years ago according to history books. There was no explanation as to why this potion was originally made illegal, but it must have been something dangerous because a lot of information was destroyed after that had happened”, Freed explained. ”I have a feeling that this whole ordeal isn't over yet. Not even if we are able to fix Natsu's memories, there's still Lisanna and Lucy. I believe they're both affected too.”

”I think you're right, Freed”, Erza sighed. ”So we have to take care of them next.”

”I'm afraid so.”

They arrived to the house where Natsu had stayed over the night. It was more like a cottage than a real house. It was owned by Dreyar family. Makarov often used it when he needed time to be alone for who knows what, but Erza didn't care about his reasons. It was a good place to hide Natsu to. In case Lisanna was able to get free from her own hiding place, she still won't be able to find him because only a few people knew about this cottage in the middle of the northern forest.

_I just hope Natsu didn't destroy the place in a angry outburst,_ Erza thought. _It would make Master angry and I know nobody wants to see him getting pissed._

”Oi, I hope you got food because this house has nothing in it!” Erza heard Natsu call from inside the house the moment she opened the door.

”Sure, Natsu, stop behaving like a kid now”, Erza said and put the basket full of food on the nearest table. ”Stuff happened and we forgot to bring you food, sorry.”

”Well, I was able to eat fire because there was firewood so I didn't die from hunger”, Natsu said and tucked into the basket's contents like a beast. ”Also, I think you're not evil”, he added his mouth full of bread.

”We are just keeping you here until we're allowed to take you to the guild”, Freed said. ”We are not being evil at all. We are trying to help you.”

”And Lisanna?” Natsu asked.

”She's kept somewhere else, Natsu. She's unharmed and well if that's what you're asking”, Erza answered, wondering why Natsu was being so calm. Was it a side effect of Memory Loss Potion or something? Or was Lisanna able to control how he behaved as well?

”Argh, not even food can keep it out of my mind!” Natsu suddenly said and groaned in frustration.

”What's that?” Erza asked.

Natsu sighed. ”It's like... there's someone I'm supposed to remember. Someone very important to me. And not just that, there's someone else too. I just can't remember who they are but they're still on my mind all the time. I... I miss them.”

_That's impressive. Even though he's been made to forget Lucy and Happy, somewhere deep in his mind he still acknowledges them,_ Erza thought. She smiled. ”Don't worry, Natsu. That's exactly what we are helping you with. If you wait for a while longer, you will get your memories of them back”, she told him.

”So you know who I'm talking about?” Natsu asked, sounding surprised. ”How long have I been like this?”

”For almost a month”, Freed answered.

”And it took almost a month to figure out what was going on? You're slowpokes!”

”Not really, Natsu. It was mostly because the one who did all this was careful enough to hide it from us at first”, Erza answered.

”Well, anyway, I'm glad it gets solved soon because I wanna go to a mission with Lucy and Happy the f- wait, did I say Lucy and Happy? Who are they?”

Erza noticed Natsu massaged his temples when he said that. ”Does your head hurt?”

”Yes, when I mentioned those names, a sharp pain went through my head. Why?”

”I don't have a answer to that question but Lucy and Happy will definitely go on a mission with you when you're fine again.”

Natsu just grinned and continued eating.

Erza just quietly hoped that everything would go smoothly. Mirajane had earlier called her and said that Lisanna was planning to kidnap Natsu and take him somewhere where nobody could find them. Erza wasn't going to let that happen. Natsu would never live a life surrounded by lies. Nobody would like that. Especially Lucy and Happy would be devastated. After all, they were Natsu's closest friends.

******

Lucy Heartfilia sighed. Yesterday she had felt really sick, and thus she ended up going home to rest. But then something had happened that prevented her from getting any rest. She felt pain everywhere in her body. It was so strong that it had brought her to her knees in her apartment.

Something was wrong.

Lucy was sure that something bad was about to happen.

” _That definitely is not a lie”,_ said the cold voice of the woman who was always present in Lucy's mind. _”Something is about to begin. I suggest you get ready for it now that you still can, Blondie.”_

” _Get out of my head!”_ Lucy told the voice. _”Ever since I acknowledged your presence, I haven't felt well! I'm angry all the time! I want to destroy things... I want to kill Lisanna! I'm not like that. It's your doing!”_

” _Well, well, you shouldn't have acknowledged my presence here then. It's not my fault. You did this to yourself. Plus, killing Lisanna Strauss would actually solve all of your problems. I would disappear, Memory Loss Potion would lose its effect and you'd get the man. The only ones whose hearts will be broken are Mirajane's and Elfman's. It's a small price to pay from stopping me from taking over your body”,_ dark sorceress explained. _”I can feel how tempting committing Lisanna's murder is to you. It's the most simplest way to fix everything, Lucy. Go for it. You know where Lisanna is...”_

” _I will not go down that path! I'm not a murderous soul!”_ Lucy said. _”Leave me alone! I shouldn't have acknowledged your presence...”_

Dark sorceress only hummed amusingly. It sent chills down Lucy's spine.

” _Oh, since you're not willing to go to her, then I shall go there myself”,_ cold voiced woman said and with that a whirlwind of black smoke surrounded Lucy.

Again, just like last time, it felt like something was painfully ripped apart from blonde's very being.

”Don't run away, little Lucy, you are the most useful to me”, dark sorceress said from the smoke before she disappeared into thin air.

_Just like yesterday..._ Lucy thought, remembering what had happened when she had went home after telling Happy she wasn't feeling well.

_Lucy was on her knees on the floor._

_Pain in her chest was undeniably strong._

_It had started when Lucy had come home from Fairy Tail. The moment she had returned to her room, her chest started to hurt. Excruciating pain went through her very being and she felt it everywhere in her body._

_Soon she found herself being covered in black smoke. Smoke floated further away from her and when it disappeared, a woman in a black dress stood there. It was a long dress with a cape attached to it. She had black hair, dark blue eyes and a small amused smile on her face... that was a exact mirror of Lucy's face!_

” _I was finally able to get out of your wretched soul. All you needed to do was to acknowledge my presence in your mind”, woman said._

” _Who... who are you...?” Lucy asked. ”And... why do you... look like... me...?”_

” _I am a illumination of the shadows in your heart. I have always been there, waiting for a chance to be truly awaken”, woman said. ”And now, if you'd excuse me, it's time to put my plan into motion. First, I will pay a small visit to your friend's, Mirajane's, house...”_

” _No!” Lucy cried, but couldn't do anything to stop the woman because the pain in her chest was still too strong._

” _Watch me”, dark sorceress said and snapped her fingers._

_Black smoke appeared and surrounded her. After it disappeared, the woman was gone. Lucy just sat there on the floor crying because this dangerous woman was going to hurt other guild members because Lucy acknowledged her presence in herself!_

” _What have I done...?” Lucy whispered._

_When the woman returned thirty minutes later, Lucy decided she won't let her back in, and thus she fought against her. But the dark sorceress was stronger than she had thought she would be. Lucy was unable to hold her ground as the black smoke covered her again and went back into her through her chest. The pain may have disappeared, but Lucy's guilt and fear stayed._

_And what's more, dark sorceress hummed in satisfaction._

_What had she done...?_

Lucy sniffed. She was so scared to go to the guild. What if she heard how Mirajane had been killed by a evil woman who looked like Lucy? She would be kicked out from the guild and she would be alone with a murderous spirit taking her body over! Lucy wanted to know who that woman was.

What was her name?

Where did she come from?

How long has she been trapped in Lucy's body exactly?

_Wait, what if she's a side effect of Memory Loss Potion? After all, I was used as a ingredient. What if that woman is... a creation by Lisanna's imagination? We have really no idea of what kind of stories Lisanna has been telling Natsu about me. She might actually think that my true self is exactly who the dark sorceress is. Now it makes perfect sense when she mentioned how killing Lisanna would solve all of my problems in one go,_ Lucy thought as she stepped into the guild hall. She looked around and noticed that Mirajane was alive and well in the bar. Lucy went to her.

”Mira, I want you to know that whatever happened last night, it wasn't me”, blonde told her.

”I know, Lucy”, Mirajane said. ”Don't worry. I don't think you're capable of being evil in the first place. You're too nice.”

”Thank you, Mira.”

”But that woman was surely dangerous”, Elfman said. ”She used a sleeping spell on my sister and then went to meet Natsu and Lisanna in the city just as we planned. Gajeel said that Natsu was unable to attack her because she looked like you.”

”She-” Lucy began, but suddenly lost her ability to talk. _She's trying to make me stay quiet. She doesn't want anyone to know that I'm in trouble. Why?!_ She thought.

”Lucy?” Elfman said.

”Nothing”, Lucy said. ”I forgot what I was going to say.”

” _They will soon know what's going on with you anyway, Lucy. Let's not ruin the surprise just yet”,_ dark sorceress whispered in her head.

”Lucy, Operation Separation was a huge success!” Happy's voice rang through the hall and blue Exceed landed on the bar table. ”Natsu and Lisanna aren't together anymore!”

”That's good to know”, Lucy said, smiling.

”Lucy”, said Master Makarov's voice. Lucy turned her head to his direction as the short man walked towards her. ”I must ask you something.”

”Alright. Shoot”, Lucy said.

”Gajeel told me that he saw you wearing black while you threatened Natsu and Lisanna. I thought Mira was supposed to take care of that since Natsu can't see you. Did you and Mira switch places at the last minute?”

”I... I have no idea what you mean, Master. I was basically comatose from a migraine attack last night”, Lucy said and wondered why was she lying to him. It wasn't like her at all.

_It must be her putting words in my mouth again,_ she thought.

”Are you sure that's what happened?” Makarov asked.

”Yes, Master. I don't know what's going on, but I didn't talk to Mira last night at all.”

Makarov looked at her looking like he doubted her words but decided to drop the subject for now. Lucy herself felt guilty. Why did the dark sorceress prevent her from saying things aloud?

” _Because they will ruin all of my plans then, and that is not going to happen, Lucy. Now, be quiet, and wait patiently”,_ dark sorceress whispered in her head.

******

Lisanna sighed in frustration. She was still unable to get free. She would be lying if she said she wasn't worried. She had a feeling that there wasn't much time left anymore for her to finish what she had started. She needed to get Natsu out of this town the sooner the better. If she was too late, he would be given Reverse Potion that would fix the memory loss he suffered from – yes, she had finally realized that the guild probably really did have that Potion hidden somewhere, waiting for Natsu to drink it.

The longer Lisanna spent laying tied to this damn bed it was less possible that she would succeed. She was unable to use magic no matter how many times she tried so she had came to a conclusion that the ropes were absorbing magic.

”That was a smart move, everyone”, Lisanna sighed. ”You knew I would use magic to get out of here!”

”I would rather call it common sense”, said another voice in the room and a swirl of black smoke appeared next to Lisanna's bed. From the smoke came through the dark sorceress who looked exactly like Lucy except with the color of her hair, eyes and dress.

Woman smiled. ”I could set you free though, but there is a catch.”

”What catch?” Lisanna asked, interested.

”I need someone to make Lucy Heartfilia as angry as possible and I believe she despises you enough. And I need Lucy for my own plans”, dark sorceress explained.

That caught Lisanna's attention completely. Did that mean that Lisanna still had a chance to succeed with her own plan?!

”Alright, you have my attention.”

”I knew you'll say that”, dark sorceress said. ”You see, I'm not strong enough unless I get freed from that wretched body of hers. Lucy must be angered to the point where reacts physically to irritation. When she gets into that state, it would be easier for me to rip the walls down from keeping me imprisoned in her soul.”

”So you want me to piss her off so she will attack me?” Lisanna asked.

”Exactly. The moment she decides to attack you, I can finally get out of that prison I've been in for years”, dark sorceress said.

”And if I help you with this, you'll let me free? How are you supposed to do that when these ropes absords all magic directed at them?”

”I have my ways. Do we have a deal or not, Lisanna? The longer you waste time on asking stupid questions the less likely it is for your plans to fail.”

”I have only one question left. It's about Lucy. What will happen to her when you get out of her body?”

”Well, let's just say that if you agree to do this, we will both get exactly what we want”, dark sorceress said.

_No way, she means I can get Natsu to forget Lucy permanently?!_ Lisanna thought. The deal was very tempting. Lisanna didn't give a damn about what happened to Lucy. If she would be a victim in this vicious plan of dark sorceress, Lisanna would only make sure that dark sorceress would get what she wanted. Especially if doing so had good results regarding Lisanna's future with Natsu.

”I'll do it”, she said aloud.

Dark sorceress smiled victoriously as she cut off the ropes with a snap of her fingers. ”It was a pleasure to do business with you, Lisanna Strauss.”

With that, she disappeared into another swirl of black smoke.

”My pleasure”, Lisanna said, smiling.

Things were – again – going very well for her.

******

”It's time”, Levy McGarden's voice said from communication lacrima that laid on the living room table in front of Erza in Dreyars' cottage. ”Reverse Potion is ready. You are allowed to bring Natsu here.”

”We have to act very fast after we return”, Erza said. ”The sooner we get rid of this problem we can return to our normal lives.”

”I agree”, Levy said and sighed. ”Hopefully this will also make Lucy smile again. She's been really depressed as of late. Even now I can see that she's tormented by something but if we ask about it, she just lies which is so unlike her. Something's wrong with her.”

”We'll take care of her problem after Natsu's problems are fixed”, Erza promised. ”But keep an eye on her just in case.”

”Will do”, Levy promised and closed the connection.

”I heard you talk about Lucy”, Natsu called from the doorway into the room. ”What's up with her?”

”She seems to be depressed because of all that's been going on recently and it's starting to show more according to Levy”, Erza answered as she put the lacrima into her bag. ”But I'm sure that once your memories are fixed, she will also recover.”

”What's that supposed to mean?” Natsu asked, blushing furiously. ”What the hell is happening to my face?!”

”This is so amusing”, Freed said. ”Your heart really is a traitorous thing, Natsu.”

Natsu winced at that. ”That woman... she... she looked like someone I'm supposed to remember... I knew she was someone important to me. But I can't remember who it was. I've been thinking about it a lot since I was brought here.”

”Does your head still hurt when you try to remember things?”

”Not really.”

”I see.”

Natsu was quiet for a moment. Then he sighed. ”It was Lisanna who was behind all this, wasn't she?”

”When did you come to that conclusion?” Erza asked as she packed up the rest of their stuff.

”I guess I have always known she was lying to me. She told me stories about how she saved me from a evil dark sorceress who tried to kill me for whatever weird reason. Then, two days ago she started to tell me stories about a blue cat minion this sorceress had with her. She told me that they were both once Fairy Tail mages but then they started to goof around with darkness, their hearts were taken and filled with it”, Natsu said.

_Lisanna's imagination impresses me,_ Erza thought as she glanced at Freed who listened the story just as surprised.

”But none of it is possible because on missions I was always saving Lisanna when she got into trouble, remember, Erza?” Natsu continued.

”Yes, I do remember. All these heroic stories of her really do sound out of place”, Erza said. _Wait, since Natsu talks, I should make him talk more. We might find clues as to what that woman actually is..._ she thought. ”Did she tell any other stories of that dark sorceress?”

”She just said that her name used to be Lucy Heartfilia, but nobody really dares to speak of it because it's a curse because when she's mentioned or even thought of, she will appear and destroy everything in sight.”

”Interesting”, Freed said. ”Did Lisanna say anything else?”

_What are you not telling me, Freed?_ Erza asked and glanced towards the green haired man. He shook his head as an answer. _Oh, you're trying to get clues. Well, go ahead,_ Erza thought and concentrated on packing things up.

”She said that when I was attacked by the dark sorceress for the first time almost a month ago, she was going to kill me slowly and sadistically but Lisanna was able to surprise her well enough to help me escape. Dark sorceress wanted to destroy me because I was the only weakness of hers and that I must be dealt with before someone else realizes it”, Natsu explained. ”When the dark sorceress appeared yesterday, she said something about 'being a shadow of a person I cannot remember'.”

”Interesting”, Freed repeated. ”I think I need to talk to Master about this dark sorceress.”

”To Fairy Tail then?” Natsu asked.

”Yes”, Erza said.

”Finally! I'll go ah- wait, I don't even know where we exactly are!” Natsu looked disappointed. ”I'll go outside anyway. I need some fresh air.”

And with that, salmon haired man went outside.

Erza waited for a few moments to make sure that he won't reappear in the house and looked at Freed. ”You figured something out, didn't you?”

Freed nodded. ”I'm afraid the situation with Lucy is far more dangerous than I expected.”

”What do you mean?” Erza asked, feeling worried of her friend's safety.

”I will tell everyone at the guild after we have saved Natsu. If we are fast enough, we may still have enough time to save Lucy.”

”Lucy's life is in danger?” Erza whispered.

Freed nodded. ”That's why we must hurry to Fairy Tail as fast as we can.”

*****

Meanwhile Lucy Heartfilia was standing in the back yard of the guild, hiding behind a group of trees. She had no idea why she was there. She had just felt the need to come here. She certainly didn't want to but something just pulled her in. It was like she was a doll that had strings attached to her body and someone pulled them to make her do whatever this someone wanted her to do. And she definitely knew who was the one pulling those strings. Lucy would be lying if she said she wasn't scared. This wasn't normal!

”It seems to me that I'm starting take more and more control over your body”, a cold voice pulled Lucy out from her thoughts. A swirl of black smoke appeared and the dark sorceress walked out of it. ”This pleases me because everything's going exactly as I planned.”

”When the rest of the guild finds out that you're threatening me, they will do everything they can to save me”, Lucy growled. ”Your control over me won't last that long.”

”Oh, you think Reverse Potion is the way to save you?” dark sorceress laughed. ”Lucy, Lucy... Little innocent Lucy. You'll need something more than just Reverse Potion to be saved from the fate that was written for you a long time ago.”

”You're bluffing”, Lucy told her, feeling annoyed. ”We will find a way to vanish you too. Then you'll be no more!”

”I'd like to see you try”, dark sorceress whispered a death threat evident in the look of her eyes. ”I will destroy everyone who dares to oppose me. I have done it once before, and I will certainly do it again.”

”I don't care. We will find a way. I swear. I won't rest until you're gone. Then you can't control me or put words to my mouth”, Lucy said, angered by the realization that this woman had tricked her. Operation Separation was dark sorceress' idea. It was a part of her mysterious plan. ”I know we separated Natsu and Lisanna from each other based on your plans.”

”Yes, that is true”, dark sorceress agreed. ”I needed them to be separated. And making you say it worked just fine. After all, you are my little tool of darkness, Lucy Heartfilia.”

Woman caressed Lucy's cheek with her pale, ice cold hand. ”When enough time has passed, you'll be ready to fulfill your destiny.”

”What destiny?” Lucy asked as the woman turned into black smoke and Lucy started to feel familiar pain in her chest. Dark sorceress didn't answer.

”I asked you, 'what destiny'?!” Lucy said, annoyed.

” _You'll see soon enough, my little tool of darkness. But fear not, darkness is a very gentle mistress to those who opens their hearts to it”,_ dark sorceress said and laughed menacingly as shivers went down Lucy's spine. This woman was going to take Lucy with her into darkness! Lucy felt like crying. Why was this happening?! Why was she chosen as the victim?!

_I can't keep myself together for long... I... Should I run away? No, I can't leave! I would be a traitorous coward! But then again, the guild is in danger if I stay here. Where should I go? Sabertooth? No. I can't get anyone involved in this. I have to fix it myself. Alone. I will get rid of this menace in me on my own,_ Lucy thought and turned around.

She decided it would be best if she left before Natsu remembered her. It would be the best for him. Everyone else would keep him and Lisanna separated while Lucy was away.

_Now I just need to get out from the guild building undetected, pack some stuff and run away..._ she thought as she entered the guild again. There was a door in the kitchen. If Lucy reached that place, she could get outside easily.

” _Running away, are you?”_ dark sorceress said. _”I'm sorry but I can't allow you to do that”,_ she added and Lucy's movements came to a halt. Lucy tried to fight back, but she had no way to win this battle. Dark sorceress was stronger. She slowly turned Lucy around so she would go to the opposite direction – the guild hall where everyone else was.

” _Let me control my body, you stupid bitch!”_ Lucy told her.

” _I can't do that. I need you, my little Lucy”,_ dark sorceress said. _”Maybe I'll even use you a little bit... Maybe throwing your friends around the hall with your hands a little bit is a good way to say hello.”_

” _Don't you dare!”_ Lucy yelled in her head. _”I won't let you!”_

”Within these runes the dark sorceress is not allowed to control Lucy Heartfilia's body”, said a voice calmly, and Lucy saw pink symbol walls rise around her.

As it happened, Lucy screamed.

Then she felt like everything stopped.

And with that came excruciating pain in her chest that made every part of her body go numb.

”Lucy!” Happy's horrified voice yelled.

Lucy dropped on her knees to the floor, unable to breathe properly.

_Something's broken in me..._ she thought as everything began to get blurry and covered in darkness.

”Help... me... Natsu...” blonde whispered before she passed out.


	6. Her Tools Of Darkness (Part 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter of the first arc of Shattered. I will post the first 3 chapters of the second story arc on next Monday. :) All the arcs are telling the same story basically but this story has been built from like 6 different story ideas that I've had over the years so it had to be divided into arcs so I can put them all together in an order so the storyline won't be messy in my head anymore. :)

Mirajane Strauss was on her way to Lisanna. She didn't like to keep her sister a prisoner but she also understood why it was done. She was dangerous, and not only to Natsu but also for herself and Lucy. Lisanna's obsession with him was disturbing. When she was younger, she was only a bossy friend to him, but that stopped when they both became older. Lisanna became sweeter and less bossy.

However, when she came back from Edolas, everything had changed.

Her obsession with Natsu had grown stronger. Only a few days later Lisanna became mysterious and distant. She also wanted to go awfully often on missions. Mirajane herself thought she just wanted to spend time with her and Elfman. She had also thought that Lisanna probably had trouble in getting used to different life on Earthland after all those years she spent in another world. Mirajane had never asked anything about it, and that made her angry.

Now that she thought of all of that, she just couldn't help but feel disappointed in herself. She wasn't able to notice the signs of upcoming trouble!

_Why was I unable to see the obvious signs?_ Mirajane thought as she reached Lisanna's room in the Strauss' apartment. She, Elfman and Lisanna had decided to share a apartment together so they could pay the rent together.

_I'm supposed to be her sister! I should be able to notice these sort of things,_ she went on as she put the basket full of all sorts of Lisanna's favorite foods when she stopped. Something was different. It was _too_ quiet. _Way too quiet_. There was no breathing coming from Lisanna's bed. Nothing. Mirajane turned her eyes towards the bed and noticed it was empty!

”She escaped?! How?” Mirajane said, feeling horrified, as she picked up the rope that was meant to keep her in place. ”It's cut in half. I wonder who helped her... Elfman couldn't have. He knows how serious this is... No, it wasn't him. This looks too clean to be his work. It was someone else... An outsider, maybe?” she added as she turned around and hurried out of the room.

She went downstairs as fast as she could and hoped that there would still be enough time to warn others. Lisanna was obviously heading towards Fairy Tail by now.

_Who knows how long she's been on the loose already? My warning my not even reach them eary enough!_ Mirajane thought as she came into the kitchen. Her lacrima stood on the table. She put it on and said Erza's name. She had to wait only for few minutes for her to answer. Her curious face appeared on the surface of the lacrima.

”Mira? What's wrong?”

”Lisanna escaped!” Mirajane said, feeling a bit ashamed herself.

”Escaped? How? Wasn't the rope supposed to prevent her from using her magic?” Erza asked.

”What did she say?” Happy called from the background.

”I don't know who it was, but someone came here and cut the ropes in half”, Mirajane answered. ”You have to be careful, Erza. Lisanna is after Natsu after all.”

”We will be careful. She won't be able to get to him this time”, Erza promised. ”And Mira, there's no need to be ashamed. None of this is your fault.”

”But as her older sister I should have noticed all the signs long ago. I would have been able to stop this from happening...”

”Mira, nobody is angry at you. It was Lisanna's own choice, not yours.”

”LISANNA HAS ESCAPED?!” yelled Happy on the background. ”We can't let her lay her hands on Natsu again!”

”Happy, calm down!” Erza ordered, but Happy didn't listen. Redhead sighed. ”I need to go, Mira. Come back safely.”

She closed the connection.

Mirajane sighed. ”I think it's time for me to do something about this as well. I can't allow Lisanna to hurt anyone anymore.”

*******

Lucy opened her eyes and looked around in the room where she was. It took her a while to recognize it as the Infirmary of Fairy Tail. Why was she there? She closed her eyes for a moment and tried to remember what had happened. Memories flowed into her mind like a waterfall. Dark sorceress had possessed Lucy while she was trying to run away from the guild to keep them safe from the evil menace. Lucy had fought back as best as she could but the sorceress proved to be stronger than Lucy had thought she'd be. As they were entering the guild hall, they were stopped by – Lucy assumed it was Freed – and Lucy lost her conciousness. Before that she had felt a sharp pain in her chest that had made her whole body go numb. Even now her body felt weak. However, she was still going to run away from the guild when she got a chance. This problem she had wasn't something she wanted to get everyone else involved in. It was better if she solved it alone, and that could only be done if she ran away.

”Lucy, are you awake?” Wendy's voice take her back to the reality.

”I think I am”, Lucy said and sat up on the bed.

”Natsu carried you. When he heard your scream, he reacted as expected from him.”

”How did he suddenly see me?”

”I think he remembered talking to you the other day and acted based solely on that”, Wendy answered and smiled. ”It was like the Natsu I know. I knew he's still there somewhere.”

Lucy smiled too. ”Did he drink Reverse Potion yet?”

”Not yet”, Wendy answered. ”He said he wanted you to be there with him since the Potion is helping him to remember you.”

”Does he remember Happy then?”

”Yes. He remembered him the moment he entered the guild.”

”That's great!”

”However, I think you should stay here. Freed would like to keep an eye on you. He seems to have some sort of idea of what's going on with you but refuses to tell anyone else besides Master.”

”I hope he doesn't keep his information a secret that long then. I would like to know what Freed's up to”, Lucy said. She fell silent.

”Lucy? Are you OK?” Wendy asked.

”Why does he think I shouldn't leave this room?”

”It's because if you step out from the Rune Barrier he put up, the sorceress will be able to possess you again.”

”Also, Lisanna's escaped, haven't she?” Lucy asked calmly.

”Yes”, Wendy said. ”We heard of it a hour ago from Mira who had gone to check up on her.”

”It was my fault. I wasn't able to stop the dark sorceress”, Lucy whispered.

_So that's why you tried to make me go to her house. You tried to direct me to her so you could form an alliance with her instead, crazy woman. This isn't good. I must warn everyone!_ She thought and threw her blanket away.

”Lucy? What are you doing?!” Wendy said.

”I don't care if the sorceress possesses me, everyone needs to know something!” Lucy said as she jumped out of the bed. She touched the air in front of her and Rune Barrier appeared. However, Lucy wasn't going to care about it and stepped out of it. She then ran as fast as she could outside the room.

_What happened to her desire to put an end to Lisanna anyway?! Why would she suddenly form an alliance with her? It makes no sense!_ Lucy thought as she ran through the corridors towards the guild hall. Wendy was following her, trying to convince her to go back to the Infirmary and stay within the Rune Barrier.

As Lucy entered the guild hall, she noticed it was in complete chaos. Everyone was fighting over some stupid thing again – probably Natsu and Gray started it – and because of that Lucy would have to waste time in avoiding flying furniture and people. Master sat on the bar table as always on the other side of the hall so it would take some time.

”Lucy, are you absolutely sure that you don't want to stay in the Barrier? It would keep you safe!” Wendy said, as she caught up with her.

”I'm completely sure, Wendy. I think that woman doesn't even have a desire to try anything at the moment. I feel completely fine”, Lucy answered. ”I just need to talk to Master as soon as possible.”

”Fine, I understand”, Wendy said.

Lucy smiled and made her way to Makarov. She was able to avoid getting killed by flying junk and people – which surprised her, of course – and soon she reached the bar. She looked back to the way she came. How was she able to avoid all the junk just like that? Usually she did get hit by some of it easily and found herself feeling pissed off at everyone while she sat in the Infirmary. But not this time. This time everything just seemed to fly past her in slow motion.

She furrowed her eyebrows and felt a doubt fill her mind. _What if it was... her?_ She thought. That thought really scared her. What if it was the dark sorceress who made it happen?

_I can't control time and space like that. Unless having the bitch in my body gives me new magic powers..._ blonde thought. _No, that would be even more ridiculous._

”I don't know what's going on anymore”, she murmured aloud.

”What's wrong, Lucy?” Master asked.

”Uh... wel-” Lucy felt a sharp push in her lower back which surprised her so well that she almost lost her balance. She looked around in the hall but saw nobody who could have done that. Something felt weird though.

”Aren't you supposed to defend Lisanna instead, Flame Brain? She's your girlfriend!” Gray said.

_Are those two arguing about women? Seriously? THOSE TWO?_ Lucy thought.

”Says the Ice Princess who doesn't even realize he loves Juvia”, Natsu countered.

_Are you two drunk?_ Lucy thought.

This kind of discussion between the two was unusual. Usually they just threw insults towards each other, nothing else. Then one of them would cross the line and they would start a fight.

”Lucy, look out!” Happy yelled.

”Wha... Hey!” Lucy felt how she was pushed to the side by Makarov's hand that flew past the her towards Natsu. ”Master, why are you...?” blonde asked but she got her answer right at that moment because she heard a feminine scream from behind Natsu.

”Gramps, what the hell...?” salmon haired man said. ”Come fight me!”

Makarov only snapped his fingers and mumbled something and everyone could see the person appearing on the spot. It was a very disappointed looking Lisanna Strauss, who he was holding in the tight grip of his giant hand.

”Oh, it's you. My fake girlfriend”, Natsu said.

”Oh, come on, Natsu”, Lisanna said in a sickeningly sweet voice. ”You don't really think that. Think about all the pleasant moments we've had.”

”I don't wanna think of you in any way anymore. Prefetably ever again. Leave me alone. I have nothing to say to you.”

”Yeah right. I only need to make you smell some flowers and you forget that blonde loser again.”

”Well, then I should take the Reverse Potion now just to make sure you won't play with my mind again”, Natsu said, sounding very serious.

He walked over to Levy and Freed, who were bottling the Potion. He spoke with them for a few moments and Levy gave him one of the small bottles.

”YOU CAN'T!” Lisanna yelled as Natsu opened the bottle while looking fiercely at Lisanna.

”Watch me”, Natsu just said and drank the Potion. He then threw the bottle on the floor. Soon he looked like he was about to lose his balance and fell on his knees. Then he fell unconcious on the floor.

Mirajane went to check up on him and smiled – Natsu was ok.

”And now”, Lisanna said. ”Time for the plan B.”

Lucy looked at her and noticed how evilly Lisanna smiled at her.

”What do you want? Didn't you already ruin my life enough?” blonde asked her, annoyed.

”Not until you decide it's time to leave because you're a weak little bitch, Lucy.”

” _Kill her”,_ said the familiar voice. _”She's the reason why all this happened.”_

”Excuse me”, Lucy said and walked to her. ”You call me weak? Me, weak?! At least I don't need to use dark magic to get the man I want unlike you have to!”

”Lucy!” Erza said.

”No, Erza, this asshole needs to listen every last word I have to say!” Lucy told her. ”I've tried my best to keep myself in control but this is the last straw, Lisanna Strauss. You're going to suffer –”

”Suffer? From your lousy little animal friends? Ha, don't make me laugh. I could beat you up easily if I was free!”

”I seriously doubt it, Lisanna. I know I could beat you up even easier!”

Lisanna looked at Lucy with so much hate that it did make blonde wish she could turn around and run away but she definitely wasn't going to. Lisanna needed to understand a few things, and one of them was that the real Natsu had no interest in being in any kind of relationship with her. That's why she didn't turn back.

”Oh, let's see what you got then”, Lisanna whispered. ”But Natsu is mine, and you'll stay out of his life.”

Lucy went closer to her. ”Never. He's my best friend, and I care about my friends.”

”I will make a new Memory Loss Potion and destroy his memories again for sure, Lucy.”

”No”, Lucy said quietly. ”Because you are going to be dead after I'm done with you”, she added while the dark sorceress laughed victoriously in her mind.

And then she felt pain in her chest.

So much pain that it made her fall on her knees as the black smoke covered every part of her body.

She was barely able to look at Lisanna's face and what she saw, she didn't like.

”What have you done, Lisanna...?” she asked.

”Plan B: Mission accomplished”, Lisanna said slowly.

”No!” Lucy yelled as the smoke floated out of her body and took a form of a woman, who Lucy had tried to keep away from everyone else in the guild. She had wanted to protect them from the dark sorceress! But Lisanna had other plans, and she brought her out instead! And the pain... It was horrible!

”Lucy!” Erza yelled and tried to come to her, but the dark sorceress snapped her fingers and the redhead knight flew many meters away. She snapped her fingers again and all the other members rose up into the air paralyzed.

Lisanna was set free from Makarov's grip.

Natsu was the only one who laid on the floor.

”Why were you in Lucy's body?” Makarov asked calmly.

”Well, some say it's a side effect of Memory Loss Potion, but the truth is so much more than just that”, dark sorceress said. ”And I'm not going to tell you that, old man, so don't waste your time on asking questions.”

”No, you stop trying to ruin stuff!” yelled Natsu from the floor. He jumped up. ”Now that I remember who the real Lucy is, I can beat you to a pulp!”

Lucy couldn't help but feel tears in her eyes. Natsu remembered her again – finally!

But then her attention was caught by something else – her chest was shining in gold light. As she looked down, she noticed small gold balls rising from where the black smoke had come out.

_No! What is this?! No... I... mom? I can't remember my mom!_

”No!” she yelled. ”What's happening to me?!” she stood up as the golden light got brightier and more and more balls flew out into the air and disappeared.

”I see. Everything's going according to my plan”, dark sorceress said, smiling. ”It was a pleasure to do business with you, Lisanna Strauss. This is your reward.”

”You're not taking Lucy!” Natsu yelled as the dark sorceress put her hands on Lucy's shoulders. Lucy looked horrified. So horrified she had tears running down her cheeks.

”No, I can't go!” she tried to fight back as the black smoke began to cover them both. ”Natsu, help me!”

She reached her arm for him to take but it was too late. Black smoke covered them both and when it disappeared, there was no trace of Lucy anywhere and all trapped guild members were freed.

Only a couple of golden balls that silently flew into the ceiling and disappeared.

”Lucy...” Natsu said and fell on his knees. ”Just when I remember you, you'll leave me...?”

”Don't worry, Natsu, I'm still here”, Lisanna said and put her hand on his shoulder.

Natsu shook it away and looked at her angrily. ”Leave me alone. Don't EVER talk to me again.”

”You'll forget her soon, Natsu. Why not start forgetting her tonight in your house?”

Before Natsu could do anything with his magic, Mirajane appeared and blew something into Lisanna's face. She dropped unconcious on the floor. Mirajane then turned to Natsu.

”I'm so sorry, Natsu. I should have noticed all the signs of trouble earlier and stop her.”

”I'm not angry with you, Mira”, Natsu told her. ”Or Elfman. Lisanna made her bad choice herself so she's the only one at fault.”

He then turned around and made her way to the guild's front doors.

”What are you going to do?” Makarov asked.

”I'm going outside, and look for Lucy in the town! She might have escaped so she might still be somewhere!” Natsu answered. ”Happy, come on!”

Happy nodded and the two ran into the dark night.

*******

”What should we do about Lisanna, sis?” Elfman asked. Other guild members were mostly quiet because Lucy's kidnapping had been something nobody hadn't expected to happen. Everyone had been sure that Lisanna would probably succeed in her plans that included kidnapping Natsu. But Lucy... she was the last one they expected to have to experience such a thing. Nobody said it aloud, but it was clear that all of them were shocked. It was clearly noticeable because Cana, for example, wasn't drinking at all.

”Maybe we should take her to Magnolia Mental Hospital to see how strong these hallucinations regarding Lucy actually were”, Mirajane – who was standing behind the bar again – wondered.

”No”, Makarov said. ”What happened to Lisanna was a side effect of Memory Loss Potion. Everyone who has used the Potion on someone has gone crazy because of their hallucinations. There is a rumour of a ancient spell that can fix all the effects but no such spell has been found anywhere in the world. However, I think it's time for another search. Bring Lisanna to my office when she wakes up and I will interrogate her myself.”

He jumped off the table and walked to his second floor office.

”Juvia thinks Master thinks Lisanna knows more about this than we think”, Juvia said quietly.

”Oh, my head...” said Erza from the other side of the hall. She had hit her head quite hard on the wall and lost her conciousness.

”Are you OK?” Macao asked and helped her to stand.

”I will be soon. Thank you”, Erza answered and looked around. ”What happened? Where's Lucy, Happy and Natsu? And that sorceress, where did she go?”

”Dark sorceress kidnapped Lucy”, Pantherlily said. ”Natsu and Happy went after them.”

”We must go after them! That sorceress was stronger than you think!” Erza said, looking worried. ”I have never been hit so hard with one strike... Natsu might be in trouble.”

”Juvia thinks that their search is no use”, Juvia said quietly. ”Dark sorceress teleported away. She's probably not in this city anymore.”

”We won't know that until Natsu comes back”, Wendy said, tears in her eyes. ”I tried to make her stay in the Infirmary but she didn't listen... It's my fault...”

”It's not your fault, Wendy”, Carla said. ”It's that stupid, selfish girl over there who's the culprit”, she pointed at unconcious Lisanna.

”What happened to her?” Erza asked.

”Mira put her to sleep. She was provoking Natsu so she saw no other choice”, Gray answered.

”I see. Where's Master?”

”In his office waiting for Lisanna to wake up so he can interrogate her”, Elfman said.

”We should tie her up with Magic Absorb Rope so she won't escape”, Erza said. ”And I will keep an eye on her.”

*******

While others were keeping an eye on Lisanna, Happy and Natsu were trying their best to find some traces of Lucy. They had already gone to her apartment, to Natsu's and Happy's house, they had even gone to Gildarts' abandoned house in hopes to find her but there had been nothing.

Few times they had also seen golden balls floating somewhere and thought it might be a sign of Lucy but it wasn't so.

Eventually they took off to the skies.

Natsu surprised to see how those golden balls just circulated there with no specific destination. He then tried to grab one but his hand flew through it.

”Lucy!” Natsu yelled once again, although his throat already felt sore from all the shouting.

”Do you think she's still in the town, Natsu?” Happy asked, sounding sad.

”I'm not going to lose my hope”, Natsu told him. ”If she's here, we'll find her.”

”I hope we can, because I can't take that horrified look on her face out of my mind.”

Natsu agreed. He couldn't forget it either. The fear in Lucy's eyes was something he surely didn't want to see but ended up seeing anyway. It was a very painful memory. Just like all those memories of him being with Lisanna. But the sight of frightened Lucy made him forget everything else.

And what was that golden light?

And those gold balls that flew out of her body?

Lucy's fear was connected to those. He was sure of it.

She wasn't scared of the dark sorceress. Not at all.

She was afraid of the gold light and those balls.

”Let's go back to the guild, Happy”, Natsu suddenly said.

”Why? Didn't you just say...?”

”No, look”, Natsu pointed at the golden balls that were now flying to the north – outside the town. ”I think those balls are somehow connected to Lucy. We gotta follow them.”

”You think we might find Lucy if we follow them!” Happy said.

”Excatly”, Natsu said as Happy changed their direction towards Fairy Tail. They landed at the front doors soon and Natsu walked in.

”You couldn't find Lucy”, Gray said as a greeting.

”Nope, but those golden balls floating in the sky were flying towards North. I'm going to go after them with Happy”, Natsu said.

”Good plan”, said Erza, who just walked into the guild carrying everyone's stuff. ”I knew you'll go after her so I decided to grab your stuff along with mine.”

Natsu noticed Gray already had packed his stuff too. ”You're coming, too, Gray?”

”Obviously. This team needs to be there for Lucy. She's not just your friend, Flame Brain.”

”I already informed Master of our plans, Natsu. He gave us his approval”, Erza said. ”So, should we go right away?”

”Definitely”, Natsu said. ”Let's move!”

_Arc epilogue  
_ _-Remorse-_

While Team Natsu ran to the train station to catch the last train to go to north, Lisanna Strauss sat on a wooden chair in Makarov Dreyar's office at Fairy Tail guild. After she had woken up downstairs, she had felt like she had been waken up from a bad dream.

Everything felt clear, just like in the beginning.

Back in the day when she heard _her_ voice for the first time.

At the time she hadn't seen Lucy as a evil person. But then at some point it changed and Lisanna just couldn't take it out of her mind. And those visions eventually made her mind create a illusion of a evil woman, who wanted to destroy all that was good. Lisanna lost the control of her actions and thoughts.

”I felt like I was trapped inside my body, Master”, Lisanna said. ”No matter what I did, I never did it for everyone's good. I had selfish reasons for everything. I thought nobody else mattered. It's just me, nothing else. Eventually I thought this way about Natsu, too. I wanted him. Nothing else mattered. I needed to have him, no matter what the cost...”

”Go on, Lisanna”, Makarov said gently. ”I need every piece of information so I can figure out a way to help Lucy next.”

”I heard _her_ calling out to me”, Lisanna whispered, tears in her eyes. ”I tried to forget that voice but it just didn't leave me alone.”

”What voice?”

”Dark sorceress' voice. It appeared to me for the first time seven years ago when I was in despair.”

”Did she tell you who she was? Or what she wanted from you?”

”She never mentioned her name. She gave me instructions on how to find the _Potions for all Purposes_ book in Fairy Tail's library so I went to get it. She told me to make Memory Loss Potion, so I did. It took me seven years, but she told me it's alright because it wasn't the 'right time just yet'.”

”Right time for what?” Makarov asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

”She refused to tell me”, Lisanna answered. ”But at the time I knew she was planning something big. She told me to wait patiently for these seven years and that my waiting will be rewarded eventually...”

”And you believed her?” Makarov asked.

”Yes, Master...” Lisanna whispered and sniffed. ”I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to... I... I just wanted to spend more time with Natsu. I had missed him so much. But when I saw her with him I just couldn't handle it well. I felt so defeated.”

”What's done is done, Lisanna”, Makarov said. ”But you shouldn't have a method like Memory Loss Potion. There is a reason why the Council made it illegal 300 years ago. This Potion has severe side effects. Lucy's life is in grave danger. It's great that Natsu has been saved as of now, but we still need to find Lucy as soon as possible. Also, I will have to inform the Council that you have broken the law of magic.”

”Oh god...” Lisanna buried her face into her hands. She would be put to prison! Or worse: she would be sentenced to death!

”But I can talk to them and make a deal that you will do your sentence elsewhere in complete isolation”, Makarov continued. ”Since darkness has taken its place in your heart and soul, you will be banished from Fairy Tail and taken to the Isla of Shamans where they will treat you until dark magic is gone from your soul. You will also participate in taking care of other patients in their facility.”

”How long would that take?” Lisanna asked.

”Since darkness has been in your heart and soul for seven years, I believe your healing process takes at least two years, Lisanna”, Makarov said. ”I will make arrangements with both the Council and the head of Magic Mental Health Facility. In the meantime you are not allowed to enter Fairy Tail in any case. From this day onwards, you are banished from Fairy Tail, Lisanna Strauss.”

Lisanna looked down at her leg where the white Fairy Tail insignia was. Right now it was slowly fading away. She couldn't help but let tears fall. She was getting kicked out of her family. It hurt so much! But Lisanna kept her cool. She can't let darkness take over her mind again.

She looked at Makarov. ”If this treatment works and darkness is gone, is it possible for me to rejoin the guild?”

”We will see it then, Lisanna”, Makarov said. ”You must concentrate on healing first.”

”I will do so, Master. I will do my best. I hope that one day everyone will be able to forgive me. Especially Lucy, Natsu and Happy”, white haired woman said and stood up. ”Goodbye, Master. I hope that the next time we meet, things will be different.”

Makarov only nodded as an answer, but Lisanna didn't mind it. She had seen the tears in his eyes. As she exited the room, she just hoped that the next time they'll meet, he'd be happy to see her. ”To be honest, I'm glad that I get to go away for a while. I need to get over my feelings for Natsu. I don't have the right to love him. I don't deserve him...” she whispered. ”But I deserve this punishment for sure...”

_Magic Mental Hospital  
_ _Capa, The Isla Of Shamans_

Few weeks later Lisanna Strauss entered the Magic Mental Hospital's entrance hall. It was a brown colored round shaped room. She was alone because on this journey she didn't want anyone else to be with her. So she asked her sister and her brother to stay at Fairy Tail. Even if they both had tears in their eyes, Lisanna was able to make them understand that this was the right thing to do.

”Hello, my name is Lisanna Strauss and I came to sign in for the dark magic removal treatment”, she said to the woman sitting behind the counter which was located in the middle of the room, opposite to the front door. Woman was wearing a white dress, and she also had blonde hair and brown eyes.

_She looks a lot like Lucy..._ Lisanna thought. She felt her anger built up inside her and had to take a deep breath.

”Yes, your name is on the list of new patients. This says, 'removal treatment for the side effects of Memory Loss Potion'. You came to the right place, Miss Strauss. This way please”, woman said kindly.

Lisanna smiled and took her belongins with her and she followed this blonde to her room.


	7. Three Years Later (Lost Girl) (Prologue)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, FT fans. I'm here with the next 3 chapters of Shattered. :) In this one, as the title says, story continues 3 years after Lucy's disappearance and things aren't very peaceful anymore as the evil sorceress has been freed and she wants her destroyed empire to rise again - obviously. This chapter is the prologue to the second arc, which is called "The Search of A Shattered Soul". Yes, I'm a poetic writer. Libras always are, lol.

_Magnolia,  
_ _Year: 794X_

It was a very beautiful day. Sky was clear of clouds, birds everywhere were singing and the weather was warm – maybe a little bit too warm, too. Everyone was living their daily lives with no worry of the future. It surely was one of those days that made people feel like nothing could go wrong. Well, most people would feel that way.

But not Natsu and his team.

No, that day was a very sad day for them. Why? Because they had just admitted to one another that the person they had been looking for was nowhere to be found – that she was probably gone forever.

Three years ago Team Natsu had left the guild for a journey. They had only one objective: Find Lucy and bring her home. However, their mission that had begun so well had ended in failure. Lucy was nowhere to be found, and nobody in Fiore hadn't even seen her anywhere. Even the golden floating balls Team Natsu had followed so eagerly were gone now. They had been able to follow those into the town known as Topaz which was located in the North West part of Fiore. After that those floating things just... _disappeared_. And so were gone the only clues Team Natsu had of Lucy's possible location.

However, they never gave up. They decided to go through every town in Fiore just in case Lucy might appear somewhere. But before they even realized it, three years had passed and they came to a conclusion that it was a hopeless search.

And then they found themselves on a journey back to Magnolia by train. They would have to switch a train in Crocus though first.

”I can't believe we're giving up...” Happy mumbled from his place next to Gray, who looked outside the window.

”It was time to do so”, Erza answered. ”It's already been three years, Happy.”

”I know, but I didn't want to give up just yet...”

”It's OK, buddy”, Natsu said from his seat next to Erza.

”We just have to accept the possibility that she isn't alive anymore”, Gray joined the discussion. He glanced towards Natsu, who would have normally reacted to it very strongly. This time there was no reaction from him. He was completely devastated.

”I can't believe we failed”, salmon haired man said. ”I was so sure we'll find her. I _wanted_ to find her...”

”It's OK, Natsu”, Erza said. ”Sometimes things just won't go as we want. We all wanted to find her just as much as you did. We weren't lucky enough. We just have to accept it and –”

”Don't finish that sentence”, Natsu growled. ”I don't want to think I lost my best friend to a monster Lisanna was hanging out with!”

He then fell out of the seat on the floor as the motion sickness finally took the better of him.

”Ugh... please kill me...” he mumbled.

Rest of the trip to Crocus was done in silence. None of them felt like talking to each other anymore. It was the same thing when they finally got out of the train. Natsu was sure he would die on the second train trip. Why had they gone so far to the North that they had to switch trains on their way back?! Natsu was pretty sure that they had used only one train on their way to Topaz three years ago. Why was it changed now?

”I'm gonna walk back home”, he informed the others.

”You won't”, Gray said. ”You'll be in Magnolia three weeks later than us.”

”I honestly don't care. I'm not going to step into a train.”

”Stop being such a baby and move”, Erza said and pushed him towards the next train which was going to depart in 15 minutes.

Natsu knew he shouldn't fight against Erza because this woman would take him to the train no matter what he tried. So he decided to give up instead.

”Are we buying the tickets on the train?” Gray asked.

”It would be wisest. Otherwise we'd be late”, Erza answered as she stepped into the Magnolia train.

Natsu reluctantly followed, then Gray and at last, Happy. They went to the first available seats and sat down. Ticket seller came soon afterwards and Erza bought tickets for all of them. Natsu noticed how she looked into her money pouch thoughtfully and sighed.

”I hope you're not hungry during this trip because I don't have enough jewels to pay for anything now”, she said.

”I got some jewels left”, Gray said. ”I also think that Natsu will pass out soon anyway so we don't have to buy him anything.”

”Shut it, Ice Princess”, Natsu sneered but as the train started moving, he felt how motion sickness began to take over him again.

”Goddammit...” he mumbled and laid down onto the seat and tried his best to think of Lucy being there with him. Her presence always calmed him down.

_I'm sorry I was unable to find you, Luce..._ he thought before he passed out.

As they arrived to Magnolia train station, Natsu kissed the asphalt in happiness. Finally it was over, and he was on a solid ground that didn't move at all. He didn't even care how bypassers looked at him in disgust. He was just too happy to give a damn about them. However, happiness was short lived when he realized that they were in Magnolia. He remembered Lucy again and realized how he really wasn't ready to go back home yet.

He remembered all those chances he had had.

He really regretted how he wasted all those chances – all because he had thought Lucy didn't feel the same towards him. He really should have told her just to let her know! But no, he didn't have enough courage to do that. And now she was gone. It really made him angry. Why had he been such a coward? When it came to fighting, he was always way more brave than he probably should have been but when it came to things like love, he was a complete opposite! So when he left to search for Lucy, he had decided to tell her how he felt when she was found. Of course, he had no suck luck either.

When Team Natsu finally arrived to the guild, and went in, they were greeted by everyone. Natsu was glad that the guild was alright. Before the team had decided to go back home, they had heard rumors of the dark sorceress planning a full-scale attack against Fairy Tail for some reason. It really made no sense, and was probably just a wild story created by travelling storytellers who needed more jewels.

”You couldn't find Lucy?” asked Wendy quietly. She looked really sad, and that made Natsu sad as well. He just shook his head as an answer.

”We lost the track of her two years ago”, Erza said. ”But we didn't want to give up that easily and kept going. We were sure that we'll find her.”

”It's like she has never even existed”, Gray said. ”Nobody knew or remembered who she is.”

”So the dark sorceress is smarter than we thought and has hid Lucy somewhere or she has died”, Makarov sighed. ”I was waiting to hear some good news.”

”What does that mean?” Natsu asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

There was something about Makarov's voice that caught his attention – worry.

”Dark sorceress has begun to take over cities and villages in Northern Fiore”, Makarov answered. ”Civilians who were able to survive are taken in as prisoners or forced to join her army and everyone who escaped are telling horror stories of orange eyed shadows who destroys everything in their eyesight.”

”That surely doesn't sound good at all”, Gray said.

”How long has she been waging war in the North?” Erza questioned.

”I think first reports of her movements reached us late last year but she began attacking cities three weeks ago”, Mirajane answered. ”When it begun, we tried to track you down because we knew you went to that area to look for Lucy but we didn't find anything.”

”We left the area before the attacks began”, Gray said. ”However, we did hear similar stories in hotels we stayed in but we were too busy in trying to track Lucy down to care.”

”I'm glad that you came home safely”, Makarov said.

”Why isn't Lisanna here by the way?” Natsu asked, looking around the room.

Youngest Strauss was nowhere to be found. Had she ran into hiding or something the moment Team Natsu entered the guild? That was pretty stupid! Natsu wasn't even angry with her anymore! Of course, he had every right to be, but he was pretty sure that Lucy wouldn't waste time in being angry so Natsu had decided to let it go as well. After all, searching for Lucy was way more important than being pissed off at someone. And letting go of that anger had been quite easy, too.

”Lisanna has been sent to the Magic Mental Facility on the Isla of Shamans”, Makarov answered.

It was a answer that nobody in the Team Natsu had expected. Lisanna was in a mental hospital? It looked like a lot had happened after their departure. Dark sorceress started a war, and Lisanna was sent away. What had happened? Natsu looked at Levy and Gajeel curiously for a moment. Had they finally stopped denying their feelings for each other?

_Nope, doesn't look like it. Gajeel, you're such a wuss,_ Natsu thought.

”Her mental issues were _that_ serious?” Happy asked, bringing Natsu back to reality.

”I sent her away because we are unable to help her with her problems here”, Makarov answered. ”She had a lot of darkness in her heart and soul caused by giving into darkness' temptation. Making Memory Loss Potion only made the effect stronger and she became what we call 'evil'. Shamans in the Magic Mental Facility are experts in healing people from its effect. Lisanna's doing well and is hoping to get released soon so she could come back.”

”I guess it's good that she's doing well then”, Natsu said, not really sure what to say.

Lisanna being in a mental hospital really took him by a surprise.

”I understand if you're still angry with her”, Mirajane said. ”I know most members are.”

”I'm not angry, but I can't forgive her just yet either”, Natsu answered. ”Maybe I really should tell her how I feel because she definitely didn't get the message after we came back from Edolas...”

”Which one is the one you want, Natsu?” Macao teased.

”Obviously Lucy”, Natsu said.

”Wow, he finally confessed what everyone was thinking about”, Gajeel said. ”Sucks that Bunny Girl isn't here listening to this. I would love to see her face, gihi.”

”Shut it!” Natsu yelled. ”You lookin' for a fight, Metalhead, 'cause I'm all fired up now!”

”Well, doesn't this make the guild feel more like home?” Mirajane said smiling as Natsu attacked Gajeel who hit him in the face.

That escalated into the first brawl in three years in the guild.

Erza facepalmed.

After the brawl everything calmed down once again. Maybe a little too calm, too. Natsu was really bored and found himself looking at the request board with Happy. He thought he should just take a job since there was nothing better to do. He was thinking of doing something in Magnolia, but there was no jobs from the town on the board. It was pretty weird because usually there was at least three of those. Why where they all gone?

”I wonder which one we should take”, Happy said. ”There's no jobs available in Magnolia...”

”I have no idea”, Natsu said, feeling annoyed. ”Maybe I should just start another fight with Gajeel...”

”Not a chance, Salamander, I'm busy!” Iron Dragon Slayer yelled few meters away followed by noises of a breaking metal that he ate.

”I think this one is good enough for us, Carla”, said Wendy's voice nearby. She took one of the job requests down and showed it to her partner. ”It's nowhere near North Fiore and it's pretty close, too.”

”Good choice”, Carla answered. ”Let's go.”

”How did you find a job for yourself and I couldn't?” Natsu complained as the duo walked pass them.

”Maybe it's because you don't really want to leave”, Wendy said, smiling. ”After all, you came home just a few hours ago.”

”Excuse me”, said a new voice from the direction of the front doors.

There was a old, grumpy looking woman, who walked to the guild hall looking for someone. Natsu realized who she was – it was the Landlord Lady who had always kept Lucy overly stressed because of the rent.

”Who are you?” Macao asked from the nearest table.

”I'm Lucy Heartfilia's apartment's owner”, Landlord Lady answered.

”What are you doing here?” Natsu asked. ”Lucy's not here.”

”Lucy's apartment has been empty for the past three years, and I need that apartment for a refugee family from Topaz Town. It's time to admit that Lucy is gone and isn't coming back. I need someone to move her stuff out of the apartment as soon as possible and –”

”How dare you talk about Lucy as if she's dead?!” Natsu interrupted, feeling really angry. But why? Hasn't he just yesterday admitted that Lucy might be dead, too?

”Don't ever talk like that in front of me! Lucy is not dead!”

”Natsu!” Erza commanded.

”No, Erza, deep down inside you know Lucy is still out there somewhere waiting for us!” Natsu yelled. He really did feel that way. Why had he lost all the hope yesterday? Because right now it felt like all of it had come back. He looked at everyone.

”I know it in my heart. She's somewhere we haven't gone yet. She has to –”

”But Natsu, Landlord Lady can also be right”, Erza said calmly. ”Didn't you also agree yesterday that the search was hopeless and that we should stop?”

”I'm pretty sure that confronting the dark sorceress will be very helpful”, Natsu said. ”She was the one who kidnapped her in the first place.”

”That's really dangerous, Natsu –”

”And you!” Natsu turned his attention back to Landlord Lady. ”You won't lay your hands on Lucy's stuff until I have had a serious talk with that sorceress!”

”Fine then”, old woman said, holding up her hands in defeat. ”But the moment I hear someone say she's dead, I will move her stuff out of the apartment”, she added and left the guild.

”Natsu, are you really going back to the North?” Levy asked, looking worried. ”I don't think that's wise since we've heard so many horrible stories of what's going on there.”

”She's right, you know?” Wakaba said. ”What if you die? Or get turned into one of those dark creatures?”

”I will do anything for Lucy”, Natsu said. ”And I will do it alone if I must. She would kill me in afterlife if I gave up just like that.”

”He's not going alone!” Happy said. ”I'll go with him!”

”You two are crazy as hell”, Gajeel told them. ”You do realize that barely anyone makes it out alive from North Fiore these days, right?”

”Since when have you been such a coward anyway, Gajeel?” Natsu asked.

”Fine, maybe we are feeling a bit scared here. That woman is a walking nightmare!” Macao said.

Many members murmured in agreement.

”Eventually we gotta stand up to her”, Natsu told them. ”Are you going to run away in fear then? Because if you are, just remember that at least I stayed and fought for our freedom.”

And with that he turned around and left the guild.

Happy followed him.

******

After Natsu had gone, the guild fell into a silence. Erza was able to see that everyone was touched by Natsu's words. However, Erza wasn't sure if she agreed with him just yet. To her three years and getting nowhere in their search was enough. But when she thought of it, something inside her yelled ”no, don't give up yet!”. Erza really wanted to listen to that voice but at the same time she didn't want to be disappointed again.

”He's right though”, Gray said nearby. ”We shouldn't give up just yet. I already felt that way when we sat in the train.”

”Why didn't you say anything then?” Erza asked.

”I wanted Natsu to realize it himself. After all, he's the one who's in love with Lucy. If I said something, he would think I'm his love rival or something. Which I'm not.”

”I understand that very well”, redhead answered. ”However, do you really and truly think that Lucy is somewhere out there?”

”Yes, Erza. I've been wondering why we never went to confront that sorceress. We looked everywhere for Lucy but never asked anyone of dark sorceress' whereabouts. If we had done that instead, we might have found Lucy years ago”, Gray said.

Erza saw the determination in his eyes. It was the same as Natsu's a moment ago. He was really going to go with Happy and Natsu. Erza couldn't deny it anymore. Both of them were right in what they had said.

_Also, if there will be a war, then we will have no way to reach Lucy for sure. If she's still alive somewhere out there, we will definitely lose her,_ Erza thought.

”Let's do it”, she said aloud.

”No way, you're going too?” Jet asked. ”You people are crazy!”

”We are a team”, Gray told him. ”We gotta stick together for Lucy's sake.”

”Let's go. We might still be able to catch up with Natsu and Happy, Gray”, Erza said.

Gray nodded and the two of them walked out as well while other members looked at them as if they were indeed crazy. Erza had to agree with Natsu. For some reason members of Fairy Tail weren't as brave as they used to be years ago. Was there something else that was left unsaid earlier? Why would they do such a thing?

”There he is!” Gray suddenly said.

He pointed at the direction where Natsu stood in the middle of the road Happy next to him. Both of them had crossed their arms over their chests, fiery determination still evident in their eyes. However, as Erza and Gray approached them, both grinned widely.

”Looks like the plan worked, Happy”, Natsu told his partner.

”I can see that!” Happy said. ”Natsu, you're smarter than you look!”

”Hey!”

”Wait, you made that scene just because you wanted us to open our eyes to the truth?” Erza asked, annoyed. ”Why couldn't you just ask?!”

”It was funnier if we did it this way”, Natsu said. ”Right, Happy?”

”Aye sir!”

”Well, the point is that you're right, Natsu”, Gray hastily said before a huge argument took place. ”We should go look for some more clues. We might have missed something.”

”But we have to be careful”, Erza said. ”We have to remember what everyone told us. Things aren't going well at that part of this kingdom.”

”We'll be fine. We're doing this for Lucy”, Natsu said. ”When we do stuff for someone in our family, we get through everything easily.”

”I remember no easy task to be honest, but whatever, when are you going to leave?” Gray asked.

”I was thinking of going tomorrow”, Natsu said.

”Well, it's getting dark anyway so I think it's a good choice to do it tomorrow”, Erza said. ”We'll try to catch the midday train to Crocus.”

”Two train trips again?! I'm walking.”

”No, you're trying to be Lucy's hero. Act like it”, Gray said.

”Whatev- wait, what's that...?” Natsu looked over Erza's and Gray's shoulders.

They turned around and saw a little girl walking towards them. She had blonde hair and brown eyes. She wore a pink dress, bow on the side of her head and black shoes. She looked very sad, and very tired. It was also easy to see that she was also desperate. Was she looking for something? Or someone? And why had Natsu reacted so strongly...?

”Excuse me”, Erza asked gently from the little girl. ”Are you alright?”

”I'll be fine once I find my way home”, girl answered.

Erza felt her heart skip a beat. Her voice sounded a lot like –

”What's your name?” Happy asked.

”Lucy”, little girl answered. ”You're a talking cat.”

”A Exceed to be more exact.”

Little girl giggled. ”You're cute!”

”What are you looking for?” Erza asked.

”Oh yes... Have you seen a gold key with engravings of Aquarius on it?” Lucy asked. ”I lost that key long ago... She'll be so mad at me...” She sighed.

”I'm sorry, we haven't seen that”, Erza said. ”Where are your parents?”

”My mom is dead and all dad does is work all the time”, Lucy answered. ”But maybe the key is in my room after all...”

”Maybe so”, Erza agreed. ”Are you hungry?”

”I haven't felt hunger so long that I don't even remember what it feels like”, Lucy answered. She then continued walking forward until a golden light rose from the ground and covered her up. She was gone when the light disappeared.

Team Natsu stood there in shock for a moment.

It was Happy who finally broke the silence after few minutes.

”It was Lucy!” Exceed cried in panic. ”But she was so small!”

”Happy, don't panic”, Erza said. ”It surely was our Lucy, but at the same time it wasn't. She didn't recognize us at all.”

”It was the Lucy from the times when she still lived in that huge mansion of her family's”, Natsu said. ”That's why she didn't recognize us.”

”I wonder if it was some sort ghost or something”, Gray said.

”No”, Natsu said. ”It was a memory.”

”If it was a memory, how does it walk around here as if it was a person? Memories doesn't have physical forms, Natsu.”

”I have no idea, Ice Princess.”

”This mystery just got even more confusing”, Erza sighed. ”We have to tell Master about this tomorrow before we leave.”


	8. A Letter Of Hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the chapter 8 for Shattered. This one brings Sabertooth into the story as well as one of my OC characters, Nora, who has her own story that will be revealed in the future chapters. :)

_ARC 2: The Search of a Shattered Soul_

_Sabertooth Guild Headquarters  
_ _Year: 794X_

As much as Sting Eucliffe would have wanted to go to bed and fall asleep, he knew he couldn't do that just yet. He was a master of this damn guild of his. Sometimes he did regret his decision to take that position but then he remembered that all members of Sabertooth had put their trust into him. That's why Sting couldn't just stop, right? It would make him look like a loser to everyone. And they knew – just as Sting himself knew – that he was no loser. He told himself that every time he started to have doubts.

”Finally this is done”, Sting murmured as he folded up the last letter which was addressed to Fairy Tail. He looked at the letter.

”I just hope that Natsu and others will come...”

Door opened, and a black haired young woman stepped in. She wore a dark blue dress to match her eyes which were the deepest blue Sting had ever seen. She also wore black boots. ”Oh god, you're still folding those damn letters? You're such a slowpoke, Sting!” girl cried, shaking her head from side to side as she closed the door.

”Nice to see you too, Nora. Where did you go this time, and why did that journey take you two weeks?”

Black haired woman – Nora – smiled. ”I'm sorry, Sting. I had to go”, she said and sat down on his table. She picked up one of the letters.

”Do you think all these guilds will actually answer your call? Everyone seems to be scared of this dark sorceress.”

”Well, we know that they will follow Fairy Tail”, Sting said grinning. ”If we get them to work on this with us, everyone else follows them.”

”I guess so”, Nora sighed.

”What's wrong?” Sting asked.

”I found one of them in Crocus. It's one of the two last ones.”

”You still haven't located where the other one is?”

”It's getting harder and harder the more time passes”, Nora said sighing. ”I'm afraid the last one will fade away before I'm able to find it.”

”So you'll come with us. That's so annoying. You'll be a complete distraction to me”, Sting said.

It was fun to tease this woman because her reactions were always amusing. Of course, sometimes this Nora was able to hit right where it hurt when she was really pissed off. But despite that, Sting really loved her – maybe even more than he should have.

”No more kisses for you then”, Nora said grinning.

”Damn, I was just hoping that you'd spend the night with me again”, Sting said dramatically and sighed.

”Stop being an asshole then and I might change my mind”, Nora said as she stood up again. She sighed. ”To be honest, I think this thing between us is a mistake. You'll only end up being heartbroken eventually.”

”So you're saying we should just break up?” Sting asked.

”Exactly. I don't want you to be hurt because of me”, Nora said and turned around. ”You know what I have to do when I have found all of them. We won't have that forever you always talk about.”

Sting sighed and stood up. He walked to her. ”I personally want this thing to last until the separation is inevitable.”

And then he kissed Nora before she began to talk nonsense again. He really loved this woman and he surely didn't care if they had to break up in the future. He knew very well that it was coming. But that was the reason why he wanted to keep their relationship alive as long as possible.

*******

The next morning Gray Fullbuster couldn't get over the confusion of how he had succeeded at getting to go on a morning date with Juvia Locksar. And what really made him feel confused about it was that he had actually enjoyed their time together. He had also started to feel kind of sad when he remembered that he was going to leave in few hours on another search for Lucy. Had he ended up going on the date subconciously when Juvia appeared on his door this morning? And more importantly, did Juvia know that he was going to leave again?

_Honestly, I don't know what's going on in my head anymore..._ he thought as the two of them walked on the main street of Magnolia towards Fairy Tail. It was a very nice day. It wasn't too hot or cold – although Gray didn't mind coldness. After all, he was a ice mage.

”Juvia just wanted to spend more time with Gray-sama before he leaves again”, Juvia said as if she had known what Gray had been thinking about their morning date and blushed a little – which did look kinda cute, Gray noticed.

”We could do that when we've brought Lucy home, Juvia”, he told her.

”Juvia would like that”, blue haired girl said and surprised Gray with a hug so tight that they fell to the ground.

_Why does this happen to me all time with you, Juvia?_ Gray wondered. ”You sure know how to surprise me”, he said aloud.

”Juvia is sorry, but she's also happy that Gray-sama is here!” Juvia said and squeezed him again. Then she let him go and stood up again.

Gray stood up as well and the two of them continued walking. ”I'm happy to be back home as well”, he said, looking around.

He suddenly realized how much he had missed this city. It felt like home for sure. And now he was going to leave again?

_I'm doing the right thing by giving the search another try,_ he told himself. _After all, I believe Lucy's still out there. Natsu is right. We gotta go find the dark sorceress and make her give us the location of Lucy's._

”Juvia hopes Gray-sama will be successful with the search”, Juvia's voice said.

Gray nodded as a answer. He surely hoped this time the search will be successful. He was also very sure that the dark sorceress could give them wrong information regarding Lucy because she obviously had some plans regarding her. Gray was really worried about that. What kind of plan could that dark sorceress even have that needed a Celestial Spirit Mage anyway?

”There you are, Gray!” yelled Natsu's voice suddenly. ”Where the hell have you been?!”

”Wait- what?” Gray said, and looked around – when had he and Juvia arrived at the guild anyway?

_I must have been lost in my thoughts then..._ he thought.

”Does it matter where he was, Natsu?” Elfman asked. ”He's here now, and that's all that matters.”

”Fine then!” Natsu said and went to sit next to the closest table.

Gray furrowed his eyebrows. ”What's up with him?”

”He wanted to leave earlier than planned but then Master told us he has something he wishes to tell everyone so Natsu's a little bit annoyed”, Mirajane answered. She smiled when she noticed Juvia was still with Gray. ”Did you have a nice date with Gray, Juvia?” bartender asked.

”Oh, you went on a date with Juvia?” teased Macao from nearby table. ”Finally our little kids are growing up.”

”Oh, shut it, Macao”, Gray told him.

”I bet it was a boring date because Ice Princess is no fun”, Natsu said.  
”Shut it, Flame Brain!”

”It was no boring date!” Juvia yelled and smacked Natsu with a chair.

”That hurt, Gray!” Natsu yelled.

”It wasn–”, but Gray couldn't finish that sentence because his mouth was collided by Natsu's flaming fist.

*******

In the end Makarov was the one who put an end to the brawl by telling everyone to shut the hell up. Of course, as usual, Natsu and Gray didn't listen so Master had to use force on the two of them. After they promised to calm down, he let them go from his giant fist's tight grip. Both boys looked like they wanted to continue but decided to leave it at that for a while. It was easy to hear how everyone in the guild let out their breath at that point. To Happy it looked pretty funny. He had been able to avoid all the fighting by flying to the ceiling and sitting there on a barrel until everyone calmed down. He was able to eat his breakfast at last – red snapper. Even though seeing it only made him miss Lucy more, he still loved it. It was his absolute favorite fish.

”Happy, you can come down now”, Carla said, looking at the blue Exceed from the table she was standing on. When Happy looked down at her, he was sure that she was amused by his behavior.

He flew down and sat down to continue eating. ”Want some, Carla?”

”I already ate, Happy.”

”Fine. Then I can have more of this awesome fish...” Happy said and proceeded to take another bite.

”Alright, brats”, Master Makarov said while he stood on the stage on the other side of the guild. ”I have some very important news for everyone. First of all, this year's Grand Magic Games are cancelled due to North Fiore's rebellion. Yes, they are now calling dark sorceress' attacks a rebellion against the crown.”

”Grand Magic Games is cancelled?” Natsu asked. ”Dammit.”

”Well, that sucks”, Gray said while holding a piece of ice on his swollen cheek. He and Natsu shared another ”this-isn't-over-yet-jackass” glance.

”Yes, it has been under heavy negotiations for weeks now and they made a decision on it yesterday”, Makarov said. ”Also, new defence systems powered by magic are going to be in use from now on. This involves more stricter control over the train traffic to the areas dark sorceress' army has taken over. All traffic to those areas is also suspended.”

”But we have to go there. Lucy might still be there”, Natsu said.

”Don't worry, Natsu”, Makarov said. ”Trains will go to North but they won't go as far as they used to three years ago. You may have to walk few miles to get where you're going to.”

”I don't mind walking”, Natsu said, his mood suddenly more positive.

”You just don't want to get to a train because of your motion sickness”, Gajeel teased.

”Yeah, as if you don't get it too, Metalhead”, Natsu snapped at him.

”Touché, Salamander.”

”Alright then”, Makarov said, raising his voice to end all discussions. ”I also have another announcement. I got a message from Sting Eucliffe earlier this morning. He wants us to join a Guild Alliance Meeting in Crocus.”

”Guild Alliance?” Macao asked. ”When was that formed?”

”In the letter he tells me that this alliance is formed in order to begin preparations on the upcoming war against the dark sorceress”, Master answered. ”He has been talking about it with other guilds and all of them are sure that a war is coming. He wants all guilds to send a group of representatives to this meeting.”

”So you and a couple of others?” Mirajane asked.

Makarov nodded. ”Sting is also requesting the presence of Natsu, Gray, Erza and Happy. He has something he wants to tell you.”

”Wait, why does he want us there?” Erza asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

Makarov smiled. ”He knows something about Lucy's whereabouts.”

Everyone gasped in surprise. Happy as well, and he was also glad that he didn't have anything in his mouth because he probably would have choked on it.

Silence fell to the guild hall, and it lasted for a moment.

Natsu was the first one to say something.

”Wait... did you just say Sabers knows something about Luce?” he asked.

”Maybe Lucy successfully ran away from the dark sorceress and Sabertooth took her in to keep her safe?” Macao said.

”And now that the sorceress is busy wreaking havoc in the North, they decided it's time to help her to get back home”, Wendy wondered.

”It could be possible. It's not like the Sabers are evil anymore”, Freed agreed with her.

”But that doesn't mean Lucy is alright”, Gray murmured.

”What do you mean, Gray?” Makarov asked.

”Yesterday... we saw Lucy in Magnolia. But at the same it wasn't Lucy. According to Natsu that little Lucy was probably a ghost of her past life”, Gray answered.

Happy lost his appetite at once. He had completely forgotten that little Lucy from yesterday. That poor little girl who was looking for Aquarius' key and a way back home.

”I wonder if she ever found her way back home...” he murmured.

”Wait a minute”, Gajeel said. ”So now we have information of Lucy's possible location and you four saw a ghost of a kid Lucy?”

”Exactly”, Erza said. ”It's very confusing, I know.”

”So we can assume that something has either happened to her at some point or what you saw yesterday was nothing but a hallucination”, Gajeel said and dodged a flying chair that Natsu threw into his direction. ”Nice throw, Salamander”, Gajeel said grinning.

”I suggest that we meet up with Sting and ask if he knows something”, Master said. ”I will inform him that we have agreed to come and we'll leave later tonight.”

”Wait, aren't they testing the new Traffic Magic Defence System tonight here?” Mirajane asked. ”It was announced on the radio few hours ago. They said that trains will not be moving anywhere in this area during those tests. Those tests will last until midday tomorrow so I think it would be better if you leave as soon as possible today.”

”When will the train for Crocus leave?” Erza asked her.

”In 45 minutes.”

”Right. We will take that one then. Get ready, people. We can't be late”, Master ordered them.

”I'm glad we took our stuff with us already then”, Natsu said and grinned. ”You go grab your stuff, Gramps, and we'll wait.”

”I'll help you, Master”, Mirajane said and followed the short man upstairs.

”I can't believe we're finally going to get some clues of Lucy's whereabouts”, Happy said. ”I think it's a new definition of awesome!”

”The thing that really bugs me is that we could have already found her if he had told us what he knew two years ago”, Gray said. ”But why didn't he?”

”Maybe he hadn't met Lucy yet at that point”, Freed suggested. ”It would make perfect sense.”

”That could be possible”, Erza agreed. ”We really don't know what happened to Lucy after she was kidnapped.”

”My thoughts exactly, Erza. All options are open. I hope Sting can direct you guys to the right direction so this mystery gets solved.”

”What happened with this guild's hopelessness?” Natsu demanded to know. ”You were all so sure that Lucy's dead yesterday.”

”Your words made us realize that we shouldn't give up hope yet”, Levy told him. ”Besides, I think we would have been informed if someone had seen Lucy's body somewhere.”

Discussion met its end when Makarov came down the stairs. He threw his backpack to closest person who happened to be Natsu. ”Let's move, people. We need to hurry.”

”Why did you throw your stuff at me? Can't you see I already have to carry a huge backpack?” Natsu complained.

”Quit acting like a girl, Natsu”, Gray told him.

”What?!”

”Don't argue, you two. We have a train to catch”, Erza ordered them.  
”Alright then”, Makarov said. ”If you have everything you need with you, we must leave now so we won't be late.”

Rest of the Team Natsu nodded and then they said goodbyes to everyone – who wished them good luck in their search – and walked outside. They still had 30 minutes until the train would leave. It was enough time for them to reach the station, buy tickets and find seats in the train.

Happy was sure that Natsu would have preferred walking but he said nothing.

*****

When they finally reached the station, they still had 15 minutes left. But the crowded station made all of them wonder if they will eventually miss the train. There was so many people trying to get aboard all last trains to the Northern parts of Fiore before the suspension of all traffic. Erza had a hard time to get to the ticket booth to buy them tickets but she did eventually succeed. When she returned, real struggle would begin – their train was on the platform 2 and there was a huge crowd of people on the way.

”I think we have to crush through in Team Natsu style”, Natsu said after a few minutes of endless struggle.

”I'm afraid it's the only way”, Erza sighed. ”I'm sorry, Master, but this has to be done. Otherwise we have to walk.”

”I don't mind if we have to walk”, Natsu said quietly, but Erza still heard him – and glared at him.

”I will turn a blind eye to your actions just for this one time”, Makarov said, although it was easy to see he was still wishing that there was other way to solve this. ”Just don't destroy the station. I don't want to pay for the reconstruction fees.”

”Alrighty then!” Natsu said. ”Happy, let's do Max Speed Run!”

”Through all these people?!” Happy asked, panicked. ”We'll create chaos!”

”Stop trying to sound like Luce and get ready, Happy!”

”Aye sir!” Happy said and grabbed the backside of Natsu's shirt. ”Max Speed Run begins now!” And with that he and Natsu went through the crowd faster than a light.

”Ice Make Floor!” Gray yelled and touched the ground and formed a icy path to the same direction where Natsu and Happy went. Then he got on it and began to skate forward. Erza picked Makarov up and followed others. People around them were angry and yelled at them how they were the danger of all traffic... or something. None of the mages really cared about what the town folk thought at that moment. They only wanted to reach the train in time.

”And now we are ready to board the train”, Natsu told the others when Erza and Makarov finally reached them.

”Good job, you two”, Erza congratulated. ”Now, let's go in before we're stopped by angry mob.”

”We'll just explain that we needed to get to this damn thing as fast as possible.”

Erza shook her head as she followed the salmon haired man inside the train. They went to the first available seats and sat down.

”And now, I'll brace myself for the death that comes for me”, Natsu informed them. ”I wish Luce was here. Resting my head on her lap always helped the best...”

Erza – who sat next to him – punched him into his stomach, causing him to lose his breath and fall unconcious. Erza then put his head on her lap.

”So that's how you deal with his motion sickness, hm?” Makarov asked from the opposite seat he shared with Gray and Happy.

”Yes. Otherwise he would throw up on us”, Erza answered.

”Shouldn't it be wiser if Wendy was a part of your team?”

”Wendy says she can't use Troia on Natsu all the time because then he will become immune to the effect”, Gray answered.

”That is very troublesome”, Makarov agreed.

*******

”Do you think they'll be fine?” Macao asked as he looked at the doorway where Team Natsu and Makarov had disappeared few moments ago.

”Dark sorceress has been pretty quiet for few days now”, Evergreen said. ”And reports say she's doing preparations for something big.”

”Exactly, Ever. Why didn't anyone mention that to Natsu and others?”

”Please have trust in them”, Mirajane said. ”I'm sure that Master will tell them all information available during the trip to Crocus.”

”You're right, Mira”, Macao said. ”That group can wreak chaos pretty successfully but they can also protect themselves well enough.”

Everyone murmured in agreement.

Mirajane smiled. Everyone was in high spirits again.

Just what Fairy Tail should be like.

_I hope this optimism lasts long,_ she thought as she went to the kitchen and Kinana took over the bar.

Mirajane wanted to tell Lisanna what was going on in the guild. She also wanted to make sure that she was doing well. Mirajane hadn't told anyone else that she did this, but didn't know why. Maybe she thought that everyone else would be against it? Well, whatever the reason was, she was just happy that Lisanna was doing well – at least she was when Mirajane contacted her last week. It was their agreement; she would contact her younger sister once a week every week via lacrima to ask if everything was going well. And today was that day. Mirajane was excited. She knew Lisanna would be too. Natsu's return and the fact that there was finally clues of Lucy's whereabouts were good news for the young Strauss who was suffering from guilt all the time. Mirajane hoped that Lisanna would finally see a ray of hope and decide to come back home.

”Lisanna Strauss, Magic Mental Hospital, Capa”, Mirajane said to the green crystal ball that was located on the kitchen table. It came to life at once. Lacrima had always been on that table. Mirajane didn't allow anyone from changing its place. She wanted to keep it close to her in case doctors from Magic Mental Hospital of Capa would contact to her. They had once done so when Lisanna had woken up in the middle of the night from a nightmare where she had killed everyone. She had been in panic and wanted to talk to her sister but the lacrima wasn't with her. Mirajane had heard what had happened in the facility in the morning. She had then decided that she would always keep this lacrima close to her. No matter what others said.

”Hey, Mira!” Lisanna's voice said suddenly which scared Mirajane completely.

Lisanna laughed at her. ”Don't call me if you're lost in your thoughts, sis!”

”I'm sorry, Lisanna. I got some things to think about”, Mirajane said smiling. ”How are you today? You seem fine.”

Lisanna nodded. ”I feel really good, actually. They finally let me start working in this facility today!”

”That's good news, Lisanna. We have good news as well”, Mirajane said.

”Oh, what's that?” Lisanna's voice was curious.

”Natsu and others came back yesterday. Lucy wasn't with them. They were unable to find her but they decided to go for another search. This morning we actually finally were given a clue of where she might actually be. Natsu and others left to check out what it is.”

”I was hoping that Natsu had found Lucy. Then I could come back and ask them both to forgive me for my horrible mistake”, Lisanna said, looking very sad. ”Although I think everyone's going to hate me for the rest of their lives.”

”I doubt it”, Mirajane said.

”You mean they don't look at you with accusing eyes anymore?”

”They don't. Also, yesterday when Natsu and others returned, they actually asked where you were. Natsu did seem a bit worried too, if you ask me. So I think he isn't angry with you anymore.”

”It would be great if that was true, but right now I still have my doubts”, Lisanna sighed. ”However, if I'm not forgiven, I just have to live with it and stay away.”

”But Lisanna –”

”I know, sis, I know”, Lisanna smiled. ”You want me to come home but I'm actually really happy here. Most of the time I don't even think about what I did. These people here are very kind and understanding. I really like that. That's why I want to stay on this island as long as it's needed.”

Mirajane sighed. She thought her news might make Lisanna want to come back home but the reaction was the exact opposite. However, she would still support this decision. Lisanna wasn't really a little kid anymore so she could make her own decisions.

”I understand, Lisanna. I just miss you so much.”

Lisanna smiled. ”I miss you too, but I have to think about my health now. I can't return until I'm sure I'm ready. Even these shamans here think that I may never be ready to come back.”

”What does that mean?” Mirajane asked.

”They think the darkness may take over my heart and soul if I see Natsu again. They're right, Mira. There are still moments when those old horrible obsessive thoughts comes to my mind whenever I hear his name mentioned somewhere. Shamans say that only way to really cure me is a ancient spell of Light Magic. However, that spell seems to have disappeared because nobody knows what it is and how it works. That's why I can't leave”, Lisanna told her. Something about that ancient spell of Light Magic caught Mirajane's attention.

What was that, exactly?

And why did it sound so familiar?

Was it something Lucy had told everyone when they were all trying to figure out how to fix Natsu's memories?

Why was she unable to remember?

”Mira, are you alright?” Lisanna asked.

”I'm fine, sis. Don't worry”, Mirajane answered and smiled.

”Good, because I have to go do my job now”, Lisanna told her, smiling happily. Even her eyes were glinting with happiness that Mirajane had missed so much over the years. She couldn't help but smile at her sister.

”You do that, and I'll go do my job. Do you want me to send you anything?”

”You could send me mint chocolate. This town doesn't have it and I really want some”, Lisanna said grinning.

”I'll send you that today”, Mirajane said. ”Bye, Lisanna. I love you.”

”I love you too, Mira. And thanks for the chocolate in advance”, Lisanna smiled, and closed the connection. Mirajane smiled. It was always good to talk with Lisanna.

******

”Magic Mental Facility of Capa, hm?” dark sorceress said while looking into the lacrima where she was able to see Lisanna Strauss. Girl's whereabouts had been a real problem to her. It had been like that girl had just disappeared into thin air. But now she had finally found her. Who would have thought that she would be in Isla of Shamans?! Well, she surely hadn't thought of that possibility. She had been sure that young Strauss girl would have been thrown to jail because of her crimes. She did use a forbidden potion after all. Dark sorceress didn't know what – and she didn't even care to be honest – who had saved her from getting a death sentence but for her plan it was exactly what she wanted.

”This will be done easier than I expected”, dark sorceress said and snapped her fingers – black lacrima turned into smoke and flew into her hand. She sighed.

”Now I just have to make preparations for my other plans, and then this kingdom will face my revenge”, she said and turned around from the throne she was always sitting on.

The room she was in was the throne room. It was the biggest room in the fortress, but it suited the dark sorceress. After all, she was the Queen of Darkness. Also, she would soon become the empress of this stupid country. Her army was growing every day, and the other thing she needed was getting weaker and weaker as time went by.

”Soon all of my powers will be awoken and this kingdom is done for!” she said.

She looked at the old picture on the wall. It was a picture of a man, who had once lived side by side with the dark sorceress.

”I still can't believe that even you, Theodore, had the nerve to betray me. But it won't happen again. This time I made sure that I will be unable to feel those foolish things like love.”


	9. A Ghost From The Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the third chapter I wanted to post here today. :) In this one you will learn something new about Nora if you keep reading. The plot thickens! ;D

” _Our people in the North Fiore are unable to say what sort of plan this 'dark sorceress' has, but one thing is sure – it's something big. What's more, the area she has taken over resembles a lot of the empire known as Reana. The great Reanian Empire was founded three hundred years ago at the end of a rebellion in North Fiore. Even Isla of Shamans was a part of it. Is this what the 'dark sorceress' is really up to – rebuild a forgotten empire? Historians say that it's highly possible.”_

Then news on the radio moved to more trivial things which felt insignificant to Erza. She sighed. News were really worrying. And more than that, Lucy was still somewhere out there. It would be a bad thing if she was somewhere in those areas dark sorceress and her army of shadows had taken over.

”I have never heard of this Reanian Empire”, Gray said. ”Is it another one of those secrets all conspiracy theorists talk about, Master?”

”Yes, but there is a lot more to it than just that, Gray”, Makarov answered. ”I believe something happened that made Fiore's government hide the truth.”

”I wonder what's Lucy's place in her plans”, Erza wondered. ”It doesn't really make any sense.”

”We gotta ask that annoying woman that... uurgh...” Natsu murmured from the floor he was laying on. He had came back to conciousness a while ago and had ended up sliding on the floor from the seat he had shared with Erza.

”Please kill me... Or get Wendy... Uuuurgh...”

” _Train will arrive to Crocus Central Train Station in 10 minutes. Please collect all your belongings, and make sure nothing's left behind. Thank you.”_

”These announcements are very... hard to get used to”, Gray said. ”I thought they were used only for the new defense system.”

”They probably thought that it would be good to use them for these announcements as well”, Erza said. ”I think it's a great idea because now people will get ready earlier than usual.”

”I guess you got a point there”, Gray agreed.

”I can't take this anymore...” Natsu said and got up from the floor. ”Happy, move...”

”What are you gonna do?” Happy asked as he rose on his wings while Natsu got on his knees on the seat and opened the window.

”I feel sorry for anyone who has their window open...” Happy informed everyone as Natsu threw up.

*******

” _Crocus Central Train Station. Please exit the nearest door to your compartment, and make sure all of your belongings are with you. Thank you for choosing Fiore Railways for your journey. Have a great day.”_

”Alright, everyone. Time to get off this train”, Erza told them.

”Finally...” Natsu said from the floor he had laid down again after his intense throwing up. He had really thought that it might help him to feel better, but it was no use. He felt even more sick now. But now the feeling was going away – finally! He got up and grabbed his backpack and ran outside. There he fell on his knees and kissed the asphalt – safe, solid ground.

_I wish they would make trains illegal..._ Natsu thought as he kissed the ground.

”Look at that man, mom! He's kissing the ground!”

”Don't go near him. He might be mentally unstable serial killer...”

”Hey, I ain't no serial killer!” Natsu yelled after the mom and her son who hurried away faster. ”What's their problem with me kissing the ground anyway?” he wondered aloud. ”I got a good reason to do it...”

”Hey, Flame Brain, stop kissing the asphalt”, Gray told the salmon haired man. ”You have no idea what's been on that place.”

”Right now I honestly don't care”, Natsu told him. ”I survived another nightmarish train ride and this is my reward.”

”Kissing the asphalt is your reward?” Gray said, looking at Natsu as if he was crazy.

”No, Ice Princess. The feeling of being able to get rid of this sickness for a day or so!” Natsu said and got up again. ”You wanna fight me?” he challenged.

”Hey, who the hell threw up on my train?!” someone yelled few meters away suddenly. It was the engineer who was checking out the train to make sure everything was alright and nothing was broken. It was obvious that this particular train was about to leave for another ride soon.

”Looks like we need to disappear from his sight”, Happy said.

”That would be a good idea”, Makarov agreed. ”I'm not willing to pay for any clean up fees either.”

At that point something caught Natsu's attention. It was a a very familiar smell, too.

He sniffed the air few times and decided to follow it.

”Natsu? Where are you going?” Erza asked.

”This way!” Natsu just said and began to run.

_No way she can be here. I've been here before during these three years and I've never smelt her scent here!_ He thought as he went. He didn't even care if others followed him. He just wanted to find her. Natsu looked around as he ran but the crowd of people around him made things harder. But this was the path the smell went.

_There!_ He thought when he saw a glimpse of Lucy's familiar blonde hair few meters away. She was walking towards the center of the city.

Natsu followed her. As he got closer to her, his excitement was taking over so successfully that he didn't even notice anything weird in the environment. He noticed it when he reached the main street of Crocus and noticed there was no humans anywhere. And thick mist covered everything. It was also a early morning judging by the darkness.

”No, it happened again...” he heard a familiar voice from the mist. ”Why does this happen?”

”Lucy?” Natsu said.

At that moment everything changed – the mist and the darkness disappeared.

And so did all traces of Lucy as well.

”Goddammit, I was so close!” Natsu yelled in frustration.

”Natsu, what the heck happened?” Gray asked as he and others caught up with him. ”You just disappeared suddenly and now you're back!”

”What? Didn't you see the mist? Darkness? Anything?” Natsu asked.

”We have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, Natsu. We were following you when you disappeared into thin air. Few moments later you reappeared”, Erza said.

”What were you following, Natsu?” Makarov asked.

”Lucy's smell”, Natsu said. ”I even saw a glimpse of her!”

”Maybe Lucy really is here then”, Master said calmly.

”Well, I didn't really talk to her. She disappeared with that mist and darkness you didn't see”, Natsu said. ”I did hear her voice though...”

He went silent. He suddenly realized that he hadn't heard Lucy's voice in three years. This was the first time. It really made him miss her more.

”What did you say about the mist and the darkness?” Makarov pressed on, obviously noticing that Lucy was now a sensitive subject for Natsu.

”Well, when I got to this street, everything went silent, was covered in mist and the time of the day was also different. It was a early morning suddenly. That's when I heard Luce's voice. She said 'No, it happened again... Why does this happen?'. But the moment I mentioned her name, everything changed back to normal.”

Makarov looked thoughtful. ”I have a very bad feeling about this. We have to discuss this with other guilds.”

”Hey!” yelled a voice of Sting Eucliffe from few meters away. ”I knew you'd come when I mention the letter I got from Lucy”, he added as he walked closer Rogue, Lector and Froche following him.

”Well, you can give us the letter now and we'll be on our way”, Natsu told him.

”No, Natsu-san. I think I'm gonna keep it until the meeting is over. There is something everyone has to know. This dark sorceress business is much, much more severe than anyone expected. You have to stay.”

”Let's go then”, Makarov said.

”We have all been granted a permission to stay in the castle. There has been sightings of dark sorceress' troops in the town a lot recently. Their targets has been mages. King doesn't want us to get attacked so he invited all of us to the castle. He said we will be safe there”, Sting said, looking satisfied about something.

”Alrighty then, but wipe that smug grin of yours off your face”, Natsu said. ”It annoys me.”

”I made a bet with someone and I won!” Sting defended himself.

”Oh, she's gonna be so pissed!” Lector said. ”And she's hilarious when she's mad!”

When Team Natsu and Makarov arrived to the Merculius Castle, they noticed how heavily it was guarded. There were guards everywhere, and they looked after the mages on alert as if they would start rioting or something. Natsu, however, stopped walking the moment he noticed someone wearing black back leaned against the wall. Her face was hidden behind a hood. He had seen enough people in black to know they were dangerous. What if this person was a villain?

”Who's that?” he asked, pointing towards the person.

Sting looked at the direction and grinned. ”Oh, that's my girlfriend Nora”, he said. ”Hey gorgeous, you just lost your jewels!”

”No freaking way! You actually succeeded with your stupid plan!” woman yelled with her deep voice. ”I was so sure I'll win over this goddamn bet...”

”Tough luck, babe”, Sting said and kissed her.

Natsu noticed how Nora tried to keep her hood on her face as best as possible. Did she have a reason for that? Natsu couldn't help but feel both suspicious and... jealous? Why did he feel that way? He didn't even know this woman! Or maybe it was because he had wanted the same with Lucy but couldn't get it because she was gone? No, there was something about this Nora. Something so disturbingly familiar.

”Okay, Sting, stop”, Nora eventually said and laughed. ”You're supposed to guide them into the castle.”

”Why don't you take off that hood of yours?” Natsu asked before he could even stop himself. _Why did I ask that just now? Why do I even care what she looks like...?_

”Natsu!” Erza said, shaking her head.

”It's alright”, Nora said. ”But I have my reasons. Maybe if you're worth it, I'll tell you why, Natsu.”

”Pfft, as if I really even care”, Natsu said. ”Right now I just wanna eat.”

”This guy is so weird”, Nora told Sting. ”Hopefully you idolizing him won't make you turn into him one day because that's when I'll kick you out of our house.”

”As if that's gonna happen, Nora. You love me too much”, Sting told her.

Nora just shook her head inside the hood of hers and walked away.

As Natsu followed her walking, he noticed a ghost of Lucy in her purple dress.

”Lucy!” he yelled. ”Over there! That girl wearing a purple dress!” He pointed at it, but when others turned around to look, she turned into gold smoke that disappeared into thin air.

”I'm getting worried of your sanity, Natsu-san”, Sting told him. ”I don't see anything.”

”I saw it! I swear I did!” Natsu said.

”Whatever you say then, buddy. We should head inside the castle.”

”Yeah, let's do that...” Natsu murmured and followed others while he looked back at the direction where he had seen Lucy in hopes to catch a glimpse of her again but there was nothing.

He sighed.

What was the story behind these weird hallucinations anyway?

And why did they appear now?

Natsu couldn't understand it at all, but something told him that something was very, very wrong.

*******

When the team got into the castle in Sting's and Rogue's lead, they noticed that there were other guilds already present in the entrance hall. Gray did feel a little bit annoyed when he saw Lyon there as well but also very glad that Juvia wasn't present because then that silver haired idiot would have been flirting with her all the time. And Gray for sure did not approve that at all – for whatever reason that was.

”Makarov, you actually came”, Jura said. ”We were thinking that you might decline the invitation.”

”We have absolutely no reason to decline Sabertooth's invitation, Jura. There is no rivarly between our guilds anymore”, Makarov answered. ”Have you already spoken about the subject of this meeting?”

”Not really”, Master Bob answered. ”We really have no idea what's going on yet. There was little to no information in the invitation letter.”

”I had my reasons”, Sting defended himself. ”There has been reports of those weird black creatures snatching letters so I thought that if I don't reveal anything in these letters, we won't get in trouble too early. That woman has eyes and ears everywhere.”

”Sounds like you have encountered her many times”, Erza spoke up.

”Well, not the dark sorceress herself but I have seen many of those black creatures in my town recently”, Sting told her.

”I understand the secrecy behind these letters perfectly now”, Master Bob said.

Gray had shivers going down his spine by the way Master Bob was looking at Sting.

_I wonder if Sting is aware of that look though..._ he found himself thinking.

Suddenly a sound of the sirens broke out everywhere in the castle followed by a announcement.

” _This is a state of emergency. We are under attack by an unknown force. Please head to the emergency exists immeadiately. This is a test. I repeat. This is a test.”_

”What are they testing?” Gray asked curiously.

”It's the daily test of the new City Defense And Evacuation System”, Sting said. ”It's basically the same as the new Traffic Defense System for trains but this one works in the cities. They've been setting these up everywhere, usually at night when those black creatures aren't patrolling in North Fiore.”

”Who came up with a system like this?”

”We honestly have no idea. There are rumors though. People say the inventor came from the future three weeks ago through some sort of a gate.”

”This is getting so weird”, Natsu said. ”I don't get it.”

”That's because you're stupid as hell, Flame Brain”, Gray told him.

”You wanna fight me?!”

”Natsu! Gray!” Makarov and Erza ordered in unision.

”I'm sorry”, Gray said at once, still feeling shivers go down his spine.

_Man, you two are scary,_ he thought.

”Seems like Lucy's disappearance hasn't changed you much, Natsu”, Lyon said and got a glare from Natsu as an answer.

Lyon got the silent message and left him alone. Gray glanced at Natsu to get an answer from him but just shrugged. Sometimes Gray just couldn't understand this guy at all – and if he was completely honest, he really had no desire to do so.

”Welcome to Crocus once more, wizard guilds”, said princess Hisui's voice. ”Me and my father are very pleased to see all of you here.”

”It would be better if Luce was here too though”, Natsu murmured. ”Her knowledge would be a great help for us...” he added and noticed how Nora came back in.

Sting smiled to her and pulled her closer. Nora began to whisper something to him.

”We have arranged rooms for your stay here, but first, let's have dinner together in the dining room”, Hisui said.

”That would be nice, princess”, Makarov answered and then everyone followed green haired woman up the stairs to the second floor where the dining room was located. Gray remembered the last time he had been in the castle. It was three years ago. After Grand Magic Games and the attack of the dragons. It had been a nice evening.

_I can't believe that everything changed only a week after that,_ he thought as he followed everyone into the room Hisui walked in.

”This room was also used as the main conference room for the 491X peace talks between the Reanian Empire and the kingdom of Fiore”, Hisui said. ”But before any treaties were signed by both parties, the Queen was assasinated and the capital of Reana was destroyed”, she added as the group sat down.

”What's with the sudden history lesson?” Natsu asked.

”I like history”, Hisui told him. ”Don't you like stories about history, Natsu Dragneel?”

”Only if Lucy is the one telling them.”

Gray facepalmed.

_Natsu, you have no class! That's not the way you talk to the princess of this kingdom!_ He thought.

*******

After the dinner was over, everyone was guided to their respective rooms. Natsu shared his with Happy and Gray. The servant who guided them opened the door to them, and then kept walking without saying anything. Servant opened the next room for Erza, who shared hers with Yukino Agria.

Natsu walked to his room and looked around. It was a very cozy looking room – maybe a little bit too clean for his taste – but it was still a room. Right now he didn't really care about what it looked like because he noticed he was very tired and decided to go to bed already. Happy followed him.

”So you're just going to bed, Natsu?” Gray asked.

”I'm tired as hel – whoa!” Natsu looked at his bed. There she was – Lucy's ghost in purple dress sitting on his bed. ”Gray, come here!”

”What now, Natsu? Didn't you jus – Lucy!” Gray said as he came in.

”I don't have time for a chit chat with you. I have to hide soon so I just came to warn you”, Lucy said with a serious look in her brown eyes.

As she spoke, she picked Happy up from the floor and hugged him. ”You have to make sure that Crocus' new defense system is active so you can evacuate the citizens in time.”

”Why would she come here?” Gray wondered. ”What does this city have that she needs?”

”I have no idea”, Lucy answered. ”But I can feel the danger in the air... Also, there's something else...”

”It's about that mist we walked into, isn't it?” Natsu asked.

”Yes, Natsu. Those occurences has happened in this city for weeks now. I have tried to investigate it but I can't leave this town because I'm just a memory of the real Lucy.”

”Is she alive somewhere?” Natsu asked.

”Read the letter Sting's gonna give you tomorrow, Natsu”, Lucy answered. She started to glow. ”Oh, it's time for me to go...”

She put Happy back down. Blue Exceed was crying.

”Lucy, no! You can't leave!” Natsu said and took her hand into his. ”Please stay. I've been looking for you for three years!”

Lucy smiled sadly. She put her hand on his cheek. ”I know, Natsu. But I'm not the real Lucy. I only remember Grand Magic Games and the dragons. I'm not your Lucy.”

”You're the closest thing to Luce I have...”

”You'll be together with her soon”, Lucy promised as the golden smoke began to circle around her. ”Remember what I said about that defense system. Make sure it works, otherwise millions of people will die tomorrow”, she added and then she disappeared.

Natsu just stood there, his arm still grasping the air were Lucy's hand had been just a moment ago.

”What did she mean, 'millions of people will die tomorrow'?” Gray wondered.

*******

” _Did you do it?”_ said her voice inside Ghost Lucy's head as she walked through the corridor in the quiet castle. Her voice appeared for the first time two weeks ago. Owner of this voice had ordered Ghost Lucy to investigate time travel and paradoxes. She had done so, and just then weird occurences of things that weren't supposed to happen or exist started to happen. But why?

” _Yes. They have been warned, Real One”,_ Ghost Lucy answered.

” _Wonderful. Maybe we will be able to stop this chaos now”,_ Real One said.

That was the name Ghost Lucy had given her – the real Lucy Heartfilia.

” _Do you think it will be enough...?”_

” _It has to be enough. I will not allow this witch to cause anymore chaos!”_ Real One's voice sounded determined and sure. She really did believe that stopping the dark sorceress like this would be a easy task. But even if it was a hard one, Ghost Lucy had a promise to keep – she had to meet someone in the entrance hall of this castle.

When Ghost Lucy arrived to the entrance hall, she saw the person she was meant to meet. Person was wearing a black outfit. She had leaned against the wall and her hands were crossed over her chest. As Ghost Lucy approached her, she rose her head up. In the moonlight that came from the window to the dark corner where she was, Ghost Lucy was able to see a icy blue eyes and dark hair.

”It's about time you arrived”, she said.

”I had to complete my mission first before I joined you”, Ghost Lucy answered.

”I hope your mission is over now then.”

”It is. I have given Real One's message to Natsu Dragneel as she requested. Now I can join you.”

”Good”, dark haired girl said and offered her hand to Ghost Lucy.

They both began to glow golden light. Ghost Lucy took her hand and she turned into golden light that flew into dark haired girl's body – Nora's body.

She sighed as Ghost Lucy's memories filled in the gap after the memories of the Infinity Clock.

”Finally that stupid gap is filled”, Nora murmured. ”Now I only need the memory of Real One's childhood”, she added as she also took out a small land mirror and looked into it.

Her eyes were now chocolate brown and hair blonde. Just like _she_ should look like.

After all, she was, one of the last pieces of Lucy Heartfilia's shattered soul.


	10. Bloody Day Of The White Sadness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for the next 3 chapters to be posted for this story! :) This is a Lisanna centered chapter and it's not going to be a very beautiful one so I'd recommend you to proceed with care. This chapter isn't very long and it's important storywise so it can't be skipped but I don't blame you if you want to do so.

That day at the Capa Magic Mental Hospital was a typical day for anyone who worked there. Workers got up early and made sure that all patients were helped the best way possible. Then they would eat lunch, and continue in taking care of the patients. It was, indeed, a very calm day for a change. None of the patients were difficult when it came to their treatments or eating. That's why the unexpected events later that day would be complete surprise.

For Lisanna Strauss, however, it was a different day. It was her third anniversary in this facility today, and she couldn't forget the things she had done all those years ago. It didn't even matter if Mirajane had said how Natsu didn't hate her. Lisanna was pretty sure that he did. After all, she forced him to take that stupid potion that made him forget Lucy.

_No, I shouldn't cry anymore,_ she thought as she got ready for another day at her job. Lisanna was a nurse in the Memory Loss Section of the hospital. She had been given this job because she refused to leave. Lisanna was afraid that the darkness would take her soul again if she did so. That's why she had negotiated with the leader of the facility and he had agreed to give her a job. Lisanna didn't really mind it. She felt better when she was able to help other patients.

Lisanna looked into the mirror. She was wearing a white nurse outfit. She took her name plate from the table and put it on. Then she turned around and walked out of her room. She had decorated it to look more cozy. Mirajane and Elfman had also brought some things to her on their monthly visits ever since Lisanna checked in to this hospital three years ago.

_Alright, time for another day at this job,_ Lisanna thought in the corridor while she locked up her room so nobody could go in. She made sure that the door was locked and then headed towards the dining hall, where everyone ate breakfast.

After breakfast it was time to start working. As a nurse, Lisanna made sure that patients were all treated well and kindly. Some of them were more challenging at that part than others but she didn't complain. She had agreed to do this, and she definitely would. And she enjoyed this job very much. However, she did sometimes wonder why the Head Shaman didn't give her the spell that could cure her but at the same time she really didn't care about it. At least not anymore.

” _When are you going to accept it, Lisanna? You want to steal that spell”,_ said a voice inside her head so suddenly that Lisanna dropped the glass in her hand on the floor. _”Be careful, my little tool of darkness. You don't want them to start suspecting you.”_

Lisanna closed her eyes. Dark sorceress didn't just talk to her, did she? No, definitely not. It was only imagination of hers running wild again as usual. Dark sorceress was busy destroying North Fiore. Why would she care about Lisanna anymore? She had done everything that woman had wanted her to do! They had a deal! Lisanna would be freed once dark sorceress was done with her plans... and she would also have Lucy. Lisanna still couldn't believe she had sold Lucy to darkness like that! All because of Natsu!

_I really hate myself sometimes,_ Lisanna thought as she picked up the broken pieces of her glass.

” _Hate? Why would you hate yourself when you did the right thing?”_ voice whispered again.

It's words were poisonous and Lisanna wasn't going to let it get to her head. Not this time! Dark sorceress laughed in her mind for a moment before it disappeared completely. Lisanna couldn't believe that after all these years that woman had the nerve to contact her like this! She was the reason Lisanna couldn't go back home yet! Lisanna had never hated anyone in her life more than this woman.

”Are you alright, Lisanna?” asked the nurse who was pushing a trolley of drinks in the living room. ”You looked horrified for a moment there.”

”I just thought those old voices in my head were back but it was just my imagination”, Lisanna lied. It was better to stay silent of these voices because Lisanna might end up getting shut up into that one room again like every night during the first two weeks of her stay in this hospital. Back then she had given in to the darkness in her soul way too easily and started a rebellion. She was so happy she got over that. But the fact that dark sorceress knew where she was, and that she could contact Lisanna was proof that the connection between the two was still there.

”Oh, alright”, other nurse said. She offered a new glass of water to white haired girl, ”Be careful with this one, Lisanna.”

”I will be. I'm sorry”, Lisanna said and took the glass.

She then turned around and walked back to her patient who had asked for water in the first place. She offered the glass to the pale looking old woman. Nobody knew who she was. Only think they knew was that she had been in the facility for 40 years now. She was one of the oldest patients. Nobody knew her story because she was mute. After she had drank the water, she gave the glass back.

Lisanna smiled to her and turned around to leave with it but woman grasped her wrist. Lisanna turned around to look and wished she hasn't – it was the dark sorceress!

”How did you –? Let me go!” Lisanna yelled.

”Lisanna? What is this?!” yelled one of the nurses.

Then she and many others began to scream in pain and horror as the dark creatures appeared out of nowhere. Panic was imminent.

”We had a deal, woman. You take Lucy and I'll be free!” Lisanna told the dark sorceress.

”Well, I think our little deal is off now. Weren't you aware that I'm the Queen of Darkness? I won't keep my promises, Lisanna. You are still useful to me, therefore I will take you with me.”

”No!” Lisanna yelled and pulled her arm out of her hand. ”I will not let you take me this time!”

”But you will”, dark sorceress said. ”I know what your plan is. And I will let you finish your mission. You will bring Pure Light's Bless to me, or I will turn everyone in this facility into Soulless.”

”What are you gonna do with it?” Lisanna asked.

”That will be revealed to everyone in a few days”, dark sorceress said, smiling. ”Now, go. Complete your little betrayal, my little tool of darkness.”

She snapped her fingers and darkness filled Lisanna's sight.

Once the darkness was gone, Lisanna found herself standing on the main street of Capa. She was horrified when she saw many buildings being engulfed in flames. And dark creatures chasing around all humans who were outside. Lisanna felt even more scared when she saw how those dark creatures – Soulless – turned everyone into one of them by ripping their souls out of their bodies. Screams of pain were too much to bare. Lisanna felt a sting of pain in her heart because she knew the only way to stop it was to betray Shamans. She felt tears in her eyes.

_I'm horrible human being,_ Lisanna thought as she began walking towards the library as the dark sorceress laughed silently in her head.

Once Lisanna found her way to the library, she didn't believe she was actually going to do this. When she stepped into the stony building, she found a group of people standing in the round shaped main hall where the corridors to other sections of the building began.

”You! You made her appear here again!” yelled someone – probably a security guard – and the rest of the group turned around to look at Lisanna who noticed they were getting to their defensive positions. They weren't going to let Lisanna through.

”Step aside”, she told them.

”Never! We know exactly what she's after and we know you want it too! We aren't going to give it to you!” another person said, who was holding a sword and wearing a soldier uniform.

”Step aside”, Lisanna repeated, while she began to get annoyed by their attitude.

Everyone outside were dying and these people were just standing there guarding Pure Light's Bless.

”I already said no!” guard said and attacked her.

Lisanna was able to block the attack – with a group of four dark Javelins?!

”Ha, there's the proof that you're that woman's minion!” guard yelled. ”I will defeat you!”

”Not if I can help it”, Lisanna said and teleported right behind him and sliced him in two with her sharp weapon. She felt a huge surge of power inside her – the darkness she had been trying to get rid of.

And right at that very moment, familiar feelings of hatred took over her whole being.

Just like last time.

She snapped her fingers and more Javelins appeared into the air. All she did was to wave her hand and weapons killed every last person in the hall.

Blood, screams of pain and horror filled the hall at once.

*******

Dark sorceress smiled when she felt it. Her little tool of darkness was finally giving in to her darkness once again. Now she would soon have all the pieces of her little spell she had been preparing for for three years. She couldn't believe that it was going to happen soon. Everyone was thinking that she only wanted Reana to rise again, but it was only a small part of what she wanted – a complete, unstoppable chaos. To cause this she needed a person who had fallen to darkness, and a person who was pure light who's soul was shattered.

_And even if you are able to put Lucy's soul back together, you will still be too late,_ dark sorceress thought as she walked through the corridors of Magic Mental Hospital.

There were blood, bodies and other destroyed equipment everywhere. Faint screams of horror and pain were heard before Soulless ripped souls out of their victims.

_This is the perfect punishment for this island for refusing my invitation to rejoin my kingdom,_ dark sorceress thought as she heard explosions from the city. _If you don't join me, you will be annihilated. I will not need you in the place where I'm going to._

”You monsters!” someone yelled. ”Get out of her – Gaah!” man felt how a Soulless pulled his soul out of his body.

Dark sorceress smiled. Her army did good work at bringing chaos to this wretched land.

”Keep on turning Shamans into Soulless, my children”, she said. ”Spare no one but Lisanna Strauss.”

”You're not going to touch my sister, you monster!” yelled a new voice. Dark sorceress looked at her opponent. It was Lisanna's older sister, Mirajane.

”What an coincidence”, dark sorceress said. ”I just told your sister to get me something from the library.”

”I don't care what it is. I'm going to destroy you for ruining Lisanna's life!” Mirajane said, and she did look admirably angry. To dark sorceress it meant a good fight.

”Well then, Mirajane Strauss”, she said. ”Show me everything you got.”

********

Lisanna sat on the floor of the hall in the library. She couldn't believe she had done this! She couldn't believe she had just cold heartedly massacred Shamans! People who had helped her to get over this darkness in her soul. And this was the way she paid back to them?! She definitely was no good person. It was now clear. It was also clear why the Head Shaman had thought that Lisanna wasn't trust worthy yet. Because she wasn't!

_Will I ever be saved...?_ she wondered as she stood up. She knew she couldn't get out of the town anymore. Dark sorceress would call her Soulless to catch her. She had no way out of this issue. There never was.

_I... I can't go back to the way I was anymore. It's pointless,_ she thought as she headed to the Archives where the spell she came for was located. As she walked through the long corridor, she couldn't close her ears from the explosions in the city. It was probably dark sorceress' main objective. She probably wanted to make the island unable to take action in case Fiore needed it. After all, the island wasn't really under the control of Fiore. It was a independent region of the kingdom.

She eventually reached the Archives. It was a dimly lit room with documents that were all considered to be gone in other parts of the world. There were lots and lots of shelves on the both sides of the path Lisanna took. What she was looking for was standing on a pedestal on the other end of the room. She hurried towards it in hopes that if she gave this to the dark sorceress, she might spare the rest of this city. She hurried also because the explosions were starting to get closer and closer – library building already shook from their effect pretty hard and Lisanna had no plans to get buried underneath it all. She was _not_ going to die here!

”I'm sorry everyone, but I have to give this to her. Otherwise you will all die”, Lisanna mumbled as she took little while roll of parchment from the pedestal.

”Alright, time to go back and end this betrayal”, Lisanna said.

She was getting really worried of those closing explosions. It was like someone was trying to destroy the whole city to the ground no matter what the cost was. Once Lisanna reached the entrance hall, she felt so disgusted at the massacre that she had caused after losing control of herself only a half an hour ago.

She made her way outside as fast as she could. There she saw how every building nearby was either in ruins or on fire. There were more Soulless present than when she went to the library. Was there anyone alive in this city now?

”Lisanna!” yelled a voice from the sky.

Lisanna looked up and saw Wendy there.

”You need to leave, Wendy. It's not safe here for anyone!” Lisanna told her as the young dragon slayer came down with Carla.

”We are aware of this. We were in the city when this attack began”, Wendy told her. ”We decided to find you and leave as soon as possible. Come with me.”

Lisanna backed off. ”I... I can't...”

”Nobody cares about what happened anymore, Lisanna!” Wendy said. ”We all forgave you a long time ago already.”

”I have done something so horrible that I can't come with you and pretend that I'm a Fairy Tail mage”, Lisanna said. ”I cannot be saved.”

”What are you talking about?” Carla asked, looking suspicious.

_Damn, I forgot this Exceed can see glimpses of the future,_ Lisanna thought, unable to look at her.

”Whatever it is, we won't hate you for it”, Wendy said. ”Now, you must come with us. Mira can keep the dark sorceress busy until we are somewhere safe.”

”I can't come with you, Wendy!” Lisanna said.

”You betrayed them!” Carla said, looking horrified. ”You're...!”

”I'm afraid I can't let you save Lisanna just yet”, said a cold voice. ”Also, Fairy Tail's mages are relatably weak. Not even the Demon could destroy me.”

She snapped her fingers and unconcious bodies of Mirajane appeared from a swirl of black smoke. ”Now, Sky Goddess, I must ask you to leave. I will kindly let you live but I will take Lisanna with me.”

”Lisanna, what have you done...?” Wendy asked.

”I'm so sorry...” Lisanna said and offered the roll of parchment to dark sorceress who smiled. Both Wendy and Carla were horrified at the sight. Lisanna knew at once why they were on the island in the first place – their mission was to get the parchment roll. What they didn't know was that the attack on Capa was Lisanna's fault.

”You betrayed Shamans, Lisanna?” Wendy asked in a small voice.

”I thought I could save them!” Lisanna tried to defend herself.

”No need to save them”, dark sorceress said. ”By tomorrow morning they will all be a part of my Soulless army. The age of Shamans ends tonight.”

And with that she put her arm around Lisanna's shoulders and black smoke swirl covered them both.

”Lisanna!” Wendy and Carla yelled in unison.

But Lisanna was unable to do anything because darkness covered everything.

When Lisanna finally came back to conciousness, she was laying on the floor of a room that was pure white. She noticed there was nothing else in this room – except for the blonde girl on the other side, who just sat there on the floor and looked liveless. Her hair covered her face. Her clothes were dirty and looked like she had wore them for years. She really wanted to help this blonde and then escape – she then remembered what she had done in Capa and felt tears form into her eyes. She remembered that she was beyond help now. Nobody except Wendy and Carla knew what was going on, and to them Lisanna probably was a villain now!

_I can't tell anyone that I messed up again,_ she thought and calmed down. It was time to figure out who this other prisoner was.

Lisanna got up and decided to look closer. When she reached her, she noticed the pink mark on her right hand – Fairy Tail's insignia! Lisanna kneeled on the floor. She brushed blonde's hair out of her face.

”Lucy...?”

Girl opened her eyes at once. Lisanna saw a weird golden mark on them for a second but it disappeared as soon as it had appeared so Lisanna couldn't figure out what it was.

”Do you remember me?” she asked from the blonde.

”Yes”, came the answer from Lucy Heartfilia's mouth.

*******

Dark sorceress smiled as she stood on the balcony of her flying fortress. She was able to see the flaming ruins of the Isla of Shamans in the distance. It was a great sacrifice for the spell she was going to use soon. It was time to get ready for her plan.

Soon everyone would face her wrath.

Nobody would be spared.

”The One Who Has Fallen To Darkness, The One Who Is Embraced By Pure Light, Pure Light's Bless, blood sacrifice of a entire race and a City of the Kings”, dark sorceress chuckled. ”This is truly a great day. Fortress, move.”

The fortress began to turn around and set the course towards Crocus.


	11. Horologium Saeculum

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the second chapter of today! :) In this one you will finally know what the evil sorceress is actually planning, and something about her will also be revealed. And then a lot of things will happen. :D
> 
> Horologium Saeculum means "Clock Time" or "The Clock of Time" as I poetically put it. I love latin words so I tend to use them a lot. In this story there will be plenty of those later. :)

Capital city of the Isla of Shamans had fallen into eternal silence. Only two buildings were still standing in the middle of the ruins – Magic Mental Hospital and the library. Other buildings had collapsed or on fire. It was hard to believe that only a few hours ago there had been a city there. Now all of it was gone. No citizens were alive. Even the plants, grass and trees were dead.

_I can't believe this happened,_ Wendy thought as she held her hands above Mirajane's unconcious body in the Magic Mental Hospital.

She and Carla had brought Mira there right after the dark sorceress had left with Lisanna. They had gone to the first room that was clean enough and included a bed and laid Mirajane on it. Then Wendy examined her and was glad that she was still alive. Heavily injured, but still alive.

”I can't contact the guild at the moment”, Carla said while she held up a lacrima. ”There seems to be some sort of interference in the air.”

”I guess we have to stay here then”, Wendy sighed. ”We can't leave until we're sure that Mira can walk on her own.”

”I have a bad feeling about this, Wendy. We should move out as soon as possible.”

”I know, but for now we are stuck here.”

”Wendy...?” said a quiet voice of Mirajane's. ”Did you find Lisanna...?”

Wendy didn't know what she should say. Was she supposed to tell Lisanna's sister that her younger sister was a traitor who sold Shamans to the dark sorceress? Mirajane looked so hopeful that Wendy didn't know if she should even tell the truth at this point.

”She's in alliance with the dark sorceress again”, Carla said. ”She carried something out from the library and then left with that evil woman.”

Mirajane sighed. ”The moment I saw the dark sorceress in the Magic Mental Hospital, I doubted Lisanna might have fallen again... But I wanted to believe that she was strong enough to stop it.”

”She obviously wasn't”, Carla said and sighed. ”I went to the library after they left. Entrance hall was full of blood and dead bodies. It was obvious that Lisanna was behind it.”

”Carla, don't shock her so much!” Wendy told the white Exceed. ”It's not good for her healing process!”

”I'm sorry”, white Exceed said.

”It's alright”, Mirajane said. ”Now, we must inform the guild of what has happened here.”

”We already tried but something prevents us from contacting Fairy Tail”, Wendy said. ”I'm going to take a break now from using this magic”, she added as she felt dizziness taking over her. She had used too much of her magic again!

”We have to get back to the guild as soon as possible”, Mirajane said. ”I think I will be able to fly over the ocean back to the mainland.”

”Let me rest few hours first”, Wendy said as she laid herself on the next bed. ”I'm so tired right now.”

”Alright, I'll keep watch while you rest”, Mirajane said. ”I'll try to make the –”

”Hey, it works!” Carla interrupted and held up the lacrima ball that had Levy's face on it.

”Mira, you look terrible. What happened?” blue haired girl asked.

”I challenged the dark sorceress in a duel but she defeated me”, Mirajane answered.

”We have already heard rumors that dark sorceress' floating fortress was seen on the coast nearby but it has then disappeared somewhere. We heard from the radio that something has happened because every city in the area has sighted rising smoke from Isla of Shamans. What's going on?”

”Isla of Shamans has fallen, and my sister has betrayed us once again.”

*******

Natsu woke up only few moments before the servant came to wake him and Gray the next morning. Last night the boys had gathered everyone up to tell them about Lucy's ghost that had appeared in Natsu's room. He wasn't sure if everyone would believe him, but to his surprise they did. Alarm systems were put on highest alert and some mages had even agreed to join the city patrol just in case. However, they had agreed that strongest mages would rest the night so they could go against the dark sorceress. Even in the morning Natsu was a little bit unsure because he would have to deal with that woman again. He remembered – from the time when he didn't even remember Lucy – that he was helpless against the dark sorceress because she looked like Lucy. He definitely didn't want to experience that again! But he didn't disagree with others. He wanted to find Lucy. And that sorceress knew where she was.

”Natsu, Sting is here!” Gray yelled from the living room where he had followed the servant few minutes ago asking questions about stuff that Natsu was too tired to concentrate on.

”Are you sure he heard you?” Sting's voice asked.

”I'm pretty sure he heard me”, Gray answered. ”But he seems to have things on his mind at the moment. Why don't you sit down and wait for him while I go eat breakfast?”

”Good idea. That sofa looks very comfy.”

_This guy is so weird,_ Natsu thought as he put his clothes on.

When Natsu exited the bedroom, he saw Sting sitting on the sofa in the living room. He had a tea cup in front of him on the coffee table. Natsu looked around to see if that weird Nora girl was with him too but she was nowhere to be seen. It seemed like it was only him and Lector there.

”What are you doing here?” Natsu asked.

”You wanted me to hand over Lucy's letter and I came here to do it now”, Sting answered and took out the white envelope from his pocket.

Natsu could smell Lucy's scent all over it and took it from him.

”Don't worry, I didn't read it, Natsu. I just did what she asked me to”, Sting added.

Natsu opened the letter's seal and took out the paper. It was dated on July 7, 792X. That was two years ago today!

_Dear whoever is reading this,_

_If you're reading this, Fairy Tail, I hope you will still have time to save everyone in Fiore. Dark sorceress is more dangerous than you may think. First of all, me and her are related. We are from the same family. And second, she's the Queen of the Reanian Empire which existed in the area three hundred years ago. She became evil when she was betrayed by the man she trusted most in her life. Her empire fell, but she stayed alive as a spirit and she was sealed into the body of her daughter by the Shamans._

_I'm the last Heartfilia who carried her in my soul. She was never meant to get freed but she did. And that has caused a spacetime distortion. You have probably already witnessed 'ghosts' from the past that looks like me. Those are the result of this distortion. And what's worse, this is all a part of the dark sorceress' plan. She is planning to travel through time to bring her empire back to its prime by changing something in the past._

_This plan must be stopped at all costs. If she is to succeed, I'm afraid we won't have much time left in Earthland. I may not be able to help you then, but I trust you and everyone else who wishes to help._

_Yours,_

_Lucy H._

_PS. I miss you guys. I wish I could come back._

Natsu couldn't believe what he had just read. The dark sorceress was Lucy's ancestor?! But Lucy was so sweet. How could she be related to someone so cruel? That was impossible! But then again, dark sorceress did come out of Lucy's body three years ago so maybe it made sense. What really didn't make sense was the fact that nobody knew about this. Not Lucy, not Master, nobody! How could something like this become forgotten like that? Was it done on purpose? Natsu didn't understand this at all anymore.

_And what's this time travel thing? I thought someone said it was impossible... or was it just labeled as illegal? I don't remember, and this definitely doesn't sound good,_ Natsu thought.

”I gotta take this letter to my Master”, he said aloud.

”Good”, Sting said, standing up. ”And hopefully you'll tell everyone else what she wrote because it might be important.”

”Well, basically the letter says we are screwed if we don't stop that woman”, Natsu said.

_I think it's better to stay quiet about Luce being related to that evil woman as of now,_ he thought as he exited the room.

It was better if he showed the letter to the Master first to hear his opinion on what they should tell everyone else. He was pretty sure that Sting noticed he was hiding something but was – luckily – smart enough to stay quiet of it.

After the breakfast – and a very unsuccessful try to give the damn letter to Makarov – Natsu and others were heading towards the conference room where their 'Guild Alliance meeting' was meant to take place. Corridor they walked on seemed to be very old, it was dimly lit and smelled like something was hundreds of years old. Natsu didn't like that smell. It made his nostrils feel like they were on fire and his head felt dizzy. But nobody noticed it so he pretended not to care about it. Instead, he concentrated on looking at the old paintings on the walls. They were all covered in dust so it was a bit hard to see what they were about.

When they finally arrived to the conference room, everyone was surprised at how bright it looked after the long dimly lit corridor.

Room was round shaped. Windows were huge in size. In the middle of it was a big round table which was made of stone. Even the seats were made of stone. Natsu was sure those were uncomfortable to sit on. There was a red round shaped tablecloth on top of the table, candles and even a flower bouquet.

Princess Hisui and the King were alreay sitting there. With them there was also a little blonde haired girl who had a plate of food in front of her. Natsu recognized her as the Little Lucy.

”Man, these seats are uncomfortable”, Gray said as he sat down.

”When did little Lucy come here?” Natsu asked as he sat down next to girl.

”She was already sitting here when we arrived”, Hisui answered. ”Guards were trying to make her leave but I told them that she's with me and they left.”

”I don't know why I'm here. I just felt like I need to be here”, little Lucy said, furrowing her eyebrows. ”I was just about to walk into my house too...”

”Sounds like something is preventing her from going home”, Happy said.

He sat on the table and was chewing on fish happily.

”You're the one Real One likes”, little Lucy told Natsu.

_Real One!?_ Salmon haired man thought.

”Wait, what do you mean, 'Real One'?”

Little Lucy just smiled mysteriously. Then she proceeded to take a bite of the bread she was holding in her hand. Since when has she been able to eat? Last time they met, she said how she hadn't been able to eat anything for three years or something. Natsu would be lying if he said he wasn't confused as hell now.   
”How come you can eat now? Last time we met you said you couldn't”, Natsu said. ”And you still didn't answer my question about that 'Real One'.”

”I don't know why I can eat now but I'm very hungry”, little Lucy said. ”As for the other question, I'm not allowed to give you an answer. It's a secret.”

”She's behaving completely different now than she did back in the day too”, Gray said.

”I can't explain it”, little Lucy answered as Nora entered the room with Sting.

Golden light aura surrounded both girls.

Nora looked at the little girl for a moment and said, ”I sensed your presence in this city but I didn't expect to find you in the castle.”

”So you're the one who keeps me from going home”, little Lucy said.

Nora came closer to the table and reached out her hand. ”You do know that we are not meant to exist on this timeline, don't you?”

”Yes. I understand it now”, little Lucy said and put the bread piece back on the plate.

”What's happening?” Erza asked in a loud voice which caught everyone's attention.

Even the Masters – Natsu remembered he still had Lucy's letter in his hand – turned around to watch the scene that was happening between little Lucy and Nora. Both of them were glowing gold light.

Nora sighed. ”I was hoping I could do this in secret later but it seems to me that the process has begun. Lucy, are you ready to join the other pieces of the Real One's soul? Or has she given you a specific mission to complete before that?”

”I'm ready”, little Lucy said.

”Then take my hand and join us. Together we will make Lucy Heartfilia's shattered soul whole again”, Nora said as she reached out her hand for the little girl.

Little Lucy turned into a golden light ball that flew into Nora's hand. A bright golden light flashed, blinding everyone in the room for a moment. When the light disappeared, Natsu was the first one to notice that Nora's hood wasn't covering her face anymore. And she looked like a exact copy of Lucy!

”Luce...?” he whispered.

”No, my name is still Nora”, blonde answered, sounding nothing like Lucy.

”Why do you look like Lucy so much?” Makarov asked curiously.

”I'm the last part of her soul”, Nora said, looking thoughtful for a moment. ”Okay, let me explain this shortly. Three years ago Lucy's soul was shattered when Regina Heartfilia came out of her sealed prison in Lucy's soul. The parts of her soul got free and lived their own lives in this kingdom. Eventually Lucy realized that having so many Lucys present would cause time paradoxes so she went to see Shamans who created me. I was given a mission to gather together all the escaped souls. I was told to meet Lucy once I have completed my mission.”

”Who the hell is Regina Heartfilia?” Gray asked.

Nora looked at Natsu. ”You didn't tell them what was in the letter, Natsu? Damnit. I can't stay here and explain everything to you!”

”What letter?” everyone asked in unison, looking at Natsu.

He handed it over to Makarov who was closest. Makarov read it through and actually swore.

”Makarov, what's in the letter?” asked Master Bob.

”It seems that this woman, Regina Heartfilia, is the Queen of Darkness aka the dark sorceress we have so much trouble with”, Makarov answered. ”Letter says Lucy is a descenant of her and that Heartfilia family has kept this woman sealed but the seal is now broken.”

”And?” Jura pressed on.

”This woman's plan is far more dangerous than we thought. According to this letter she's going to open a time game and go back in time to change the present.”

”Oh dear, we are in serious trouble then”, master Bob said.

”It also means that the royal family was involved in this”, Erza spoke up.

Everyone turned to look at the king and his daughter.

”We kept it a secret to keep everyone in the kingdom safe”, said the king.

”I think the Masters of the guilds should have known this secret”, Sting told him. ”This wouldn't have happened if we did. Makarov could have been able to stop... whatever even happened at Fairy Tail if he knew.”

King sighed. ”You are absolutely right, Master Eucliffe. We shouldn't have kept it a secret.”

”What's done is done”, Makarov said. ”Now all we can do is to figure out how to destroy that woman before she does what she planned to do.”

”You're right, Makarov”, Jura said.

”Before we begin our talks”, interrupted Hibiki. ”I think it would be best we all know what exactly happened at Fairy Tail three years ago.”

”Why do we need to tell you?” Natsu growled, feeling uncomfortable in his seat.

”Because then we can forget all the wild rumors we've heard, Natsu.”

”Oh, you mean the ones where they say Lucy got kicked out from the guild and she joined Sabertooth to revenge on Fairy Tail?” Nora asked from her own seat. ”Those are all lies. It was that white haired bitch who ruined everything.”

”Who is that?” Rufus asked curiously.

To Natsu he seemed way too curious about the past drama at Fairy Tail – the very same one Natsu himself tried to forget as best as possible.

”Lisanna Strauss got seduced by the darkness and she used Memory Loss Potion on Natsu who forgot Lucy completely. We did our best to change it but it was too late. We didn't even know that Potion had a effect on Lucy as well so we noticed her problems with the sorceress too late”, Erza explained. ”Dark sorceress was freed three years ago today.”

”Interesting”, Rufus said. ”One of the rumors is now officially dead then.”

”What rumor?” Natsu asked.

”There was this rumor about the dark sorceress looking like Lucy in the North Fiore when the attacks began last year. Few survivors from Topaz Town told us that the woman looked like her but it wasn't her.”

”What a stupid rumour. Luce would never do something like that”, Natsu said.

”Alright, now that we know what exactly happened, we can move on to the real reason why we've gathered here”, Sting said and stood up from his seat. ”I invited you all here because me and the king believe that we will have a war against the dark sorceress. She obviously isn't going to stop until she gets what she wants.”

”According to this letter we got from Lucy – thanks to Sting for giving it to us – this woman wants to travel back in time to change something in the present”, Makarov continued. ”The spell to open a time gate requires a lot of different things. It's a very complex spell and only the most powerful mages are able to use it. But if the legends are right, Regina Heartfilia was very powerful sorceress back in the day so she might be able to succeed in using it.”

”You mean the Horologium Saeculum spell?” the King asked, looking pale.

Makarov nodded.

”MASTER!” yelled someone's voice from the bag Erza was carrying with her. She took out the lacrima she was carrying everywhere with her.

”Levy, what's wrong?” redhead asked.

”Finally!” Levy said. ”We have tried to get through but some sort of distortion is preventing us from using these properly!”

As she spoke, it was very evident that there was a distortion because the screen went on and off again, and never stayed clear. Even her voice was affected by it.

”You just interrupted our meeting, Levy. What's so important that you have to do so?”

”Oh, it's horrible!” Levy said. ”Isla of Shamans has been destroyed! Dark sorceress attacked there yesterday with her army of Soulless and they wiped out all cities in a matter of hours.”

”She was after Lisanna, wasn't she?” Nora asked. ”I also assume that Pure Light's Bless was there as well.”

”Is that Lucy-chan?” Levy asked.

”No, she's a part of Lucy's shattered soul. We'll tell you all about it later. Now, did Lisanna and others get out of there in time?” Erza asked.

”They didn't. They're stuck on that island because nobody wants to go there and Mira is badly injured because she challenged the dark sorceress to a duel and she lost. Lisanna betrayed us again! She stole Pure Light's Bless from the library!” Levy said. ”According to Wendy, Lisanna left with the dark sorceress after her little heist. She also said that Lisanna killed a group of innocent Shamans.”

Then the connection went off. Natsu couldn't believe it. Just when he had begun to think that Lisanna wasn't a bad person for real, she goes and does something like this!? Natsu wanted to go hunt her down and beat her up so badly at that moment that it took a lot of will power to calm down.

”That is our proof”, Lamia Scale's master said. ”Regina Heartfilia is going to use Horologium Saeculum, and if we don't stop her in time, we will all be in deep trouble.”

”This doesn't look good”, Makarov said. He looked at master Bob. ”Would it be possible if you send someone to get Mira and Wendy from Capa?”

”We'll go”, Hibiki and his brothers – were they really even brothers, thought Natsu – said in unison. They stood up and left the room at once.

”What is this Horologium Saeculum anyway?” Happy asked, looking confused.

”It's a very powerful and very ancient spell which opens the gates of time and allows the user to change the timeline”, Hisui explained. ”But to use the spell user needs two 'Keys', two 'Spells', a 'Sacrifice' and a 'Time Paradox'. Keys are always human beings, The One Who Has Fallen To Darkness and The One Who Is Embraced By Pure Light. Spells are Pure Light's Bless and Pure Darkness' Bless. Sacrifice is the annihilation of an entire race. She chose to use Shamans. And a place of a time paradox which is Crocus.”

”And Crocus has experienced a lot of spacetime distortions recently”, King added.

”So Natsu ran into a spacetime distortion yesterday then”, Erza said.

”What do you mean?”

”I was chasing a piece of Lucy's shattered soul and ran into the mist on the main street. As I did, I noticed it was a early morning instead of afternoon”, Natsu explained. ”But then the mist just disappeared and I was back in the 'afternoon Crocus'.”

”Yes, that definitely sounds like a distortion in the spacetime. Many citizens has reported similar experiences everywhere in the city”, King said.

” _You're all having a tea party and I'm not invited?”_ said a cold hearted voice in the air.

A swirl of black smoke appeared to the other side of the room and the dark sorceress stood there with a self satisfied smirk on her face. It was as if she knew something that nobody else didn't. Her face did resemble Lucy's a bit, but the color was more pale. Her eyes were dark blue and hair black as black as a raven. She was still wearing the same black dress as she always did. Even on the first time they met – when she used Lucy's face as a weapon against Natsu. He felt so angry. So angry that he rose up from his seat and attacked her. However, the dark sorceress – Regina – probably knew he was going to do that and she swung her hand which caused black smoke to appear.

Natsu stopped in his tracks when he saw what appeared from it.

It was Lucy! The real one!

She looked horrified at the sight of Natsu's fiery fist so close to her face.

”Still a weakling because of love, aren't you, Dragneel?” mocked Regina as Natsu lost his will to fight. He just couldn't do that. Not if Lucy was used as a shield!

”If you are this weak, then you can't stay alive in the new present I will create.”

”Look out!” yelled Nora and teleported him out of the way just in time when the a black dagger was about to hit him.

Natsu found himself lying on the stone floor on the other side of the room and stood up while Regina looked at the golden smoke and then Nora for a moment before her smile turned into a victorious one. She didn't say anything though. She just smiled as the swirl of black smoke appeared and covered her and Lucy up again. When the smoke disappeared, they were gone.

Natsu hit the stone table in frustration. He was so close! If he had been able to land even just one punch on Regina's face, he would have been able to save Lucy!

_I was so close... So damn close, Luce. I will find you. Then I won't be weak again. Never again,_ he thought.

”That woman is frightening”, said Sting and shivered. ”Why did she –”

His talking was interrupted by a sound from the sirens in the city. It was soon followed by a announcement.

” _This is a state of emergency. We are under attack by a unknown force. Please head to the nearest evacuation gate immediately. I repeat, this is a state of emergency. We are under attack by a unknown force. Please head to the nearest evacuation gate immediately.”_

”Oh, that doesn't look good”, Gray said as he looked outside – the floating fortress was nearby the city and a huge army of Soulless flew into Crocus over the city walls.

”I'm gonna go”, Nora said. ”I have to go unite my soul with Lucy's, and I'm pretty sure she's being held captive in that fortress.”

”Then I'm coming with you”, Natsu said. ”Lucy can't fly. She needs me and Happy.”

”I was actually planning to call Leo to take her to the Celestial Spirit World and keep her there until the sorceress is gone but since you want to play the role of a hero...”

”Pfft, I've always been Luce's hero”, Natsu said.

”Nora...” Sting said and held her hand.

Nora shook her head to him, tears in her eyes.

”No goodbyes, Sting. I can't leave if you say it”, she just whispered and snapped her fingers. Golden smoke swirl covered her, Natsu and Happy.

They were gone when the smoke disappeared.

*******

”Alright then”, Erza said. ”Since Natsu has gone to save Lucy, we must come up with a plan to stop that army before they destroy the city like they did to everything on the Isla of Shamans.”

”We need to use fire on them”, Rogue said. ”It's their weakness. Also, in the daylight they're not as strong as they would be in the night so we have a advantage now.”

”Then we need to put houses on fire near the evacuation gates so people can go out safely”, Erza decided.

”We are going to destroy the city ourselves?” King whispered.

”If we are going to keep townsfolk safe and help them evacuate in time, we have to do something drastic”, Makarov said. ”Guilds will help you rebuild the damaged houses, Majesty.”

”That sounds like a good deal”, King agreed. ”Alright then, I will inform our soldiers to put houses on fire nearby the gates and you mages will do everything you can to keep that army out of the way.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.


	12. The Last Piece

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the third chapter of today. It's a two part chapter, and I will post the second part next week. :) I loved writing these two, I got so inspired writing it because it was honestly something I had been waiting to write so I went a little bit overboard with it as the total length of the chapter is 18 pages, haha. :D

As Crocus was getting taken over by the Soulless Army, and people tried to find shelter on the streets from the feared group, Regina looked at the devastation and horror in the city with satisfaction. No matter how much those people tried to fight back, they couldn't win. Even just a small touch from the Soulless, a human being would be turned into one of them at once. It was what made them unbeatable. Regina was very proud of her ability to control these legendary creatures – only if magic power was to disappear from the world would the Soulless cease to exist.

Regina looked into the sky. Clouds were already began to gather over the city.

Soon, before the people in the city could even notice it, the storm that would change their lives would begin.

*******

Lisanna looked out of the window in the white room – she had finally found one – and felt tears forming into her eyes as she saw Crocus getting taken over by the Soulless while explosions and fire took over the parts soldiers were trying to protect. So many people were left behind, and they were chased by the creatures Regina controlled. It made Lisanna feel so much guilt that she wished she could never be saved.

What would that kind of life be like?

She hated herself now more than ever before.

When she was with the Shamans, she had had so much hope for a better future, but now it was all gone. She had heard from Lucy that Regina had destroyed the whole island because Lisanna and Pure Light's Bless had been there. That meant the destruction of Shamans was Lisanna's fault.

” _It's not really your fault, Lisanna”,_ Regina's voice said. _”They did something they were not supposed to do a long time ago, which made them traitors. It was their time to pay for that betrayal. It was just a happy coincidence that you happened to be there as well.”_

” _Please stop talking to me”,_ Lisanna told her, feeling angry.

She was angry at herself, and to Regina as well. That woman tricked her into setting her free ten years ago, and now – as the result – the world was going to pay the price for that sin.

” _You shouldn't let self pity and self hatred get to you, Lisanna”,_ Regina mocked her. _”You know how strong that darkness in your soul is.”_

” _Leave me alone!”_ Lisanna yelled in her mind but only had Regina's laughter as an answer. Although, the dark sorceress wasn't lying.

Lisanna was able to feel the power rising inside her. She closed her eyes and tried to calm down so the darkness wouldn't take her soul once more. It would set Lucy into a real danger. Lisanna looked at the blonde who was sleeping in the corner in her dirty clothes.

_I can't let myself hurt you the same way I hurt those innocent people at the library in Capa,_ Lisanna thought.

But it was a thought that came to her mind too late: her chest was hit with unbearable pain that made her fall to her knees.

Why did it take over her?

Just like that...?

Lisanna was unable to stop it. She could only feel tears falling from her eyes as she noticed black lines appearing on her skin. She saw them appearing on her face as well. Her eyes began to change color from blue to orange.

_No! This can't be happening!_ Lisanna yelled in her mind as she felt the old feelings from three years ago to come back to her.

It was the last moment Lisanna Strauss had control over her mind as the black smoke covered her up. In the middle of that smoke, it was pitch black. And she only heard the echoes of the accusing voices of everyone in Fairy Tail.

” _How could you do such a thing?!”_

” _You're a monster, Lisanna!”_

” _You have no rights to call yourself a mage of this guild!”_

” _You should just leave and pretend you were never here!”  
”You're a traitor, now be gone!”_

Lisanna put her hands on her ears.

Those voices were lying as always. Nobody in the guild would say things like that, even if Lisanna did do a horrible mistake by listening to Regina's whispers on that day when she first acknowledged that Natsu had already moved on – that he had someone else he loved.

_Lisanna had always had hope when it came to Natsu. Even in Edolas, she had always hoped that he would be waiting for her. But, when she went back to Earthland, it didn't take long to realize that the boy had moved on to someone else. Even though Lisanna tried to forget that, and decided to make a move on him, he always got distracted when Lucy Heartfilia appeared out of nowhere. And the two of them did everything together._

_Lisanna was devastated._

_How could she be so stupid? Of course Natsu would eventually find someone else to be with! She should have kept that in mind as well. But she didn't. She was too excited that she could finally be with Natsu again that it blinded her completely._

” _You could always make Natsu Dragneel forget Lucy Heartfilia's existence”, whispered a voice in the depths of her mind._

_Lisanna stopped walking._

” _Who's there?” she said aloud, looking around on the rainy streets of Magnolia._

_There was nobody there._

” _I am someone who can help you with your little problem with Lucy Heartfilia”, whispered a voice in her mind again._

” _I don't have a problem with Lucy. I'm totally accepting hers and Natsu's relationship”, Lisanna denied at once._

” _I see. Well, if I told you that there is a way to get what you want, would you take that chance?”_

” _What do you mean?” Lisanna asked, scared of how tempting that offer sounded. There was a way to get Natsu to like her just like he did years ago?_

” _There is a magic potion that will make Natsu Dragneel forget Lucy Heartfilia. It's called Memory Loss Potion”, woman in her mind whispered._

” _That Potion is forbidden by law! I refuse to use it and break the law!” Lisanna said, wondering what had she been thinking when she started to listen to this... menace. Yes, that what her presence in her mind felt like – menacing and dangerous._

” _Well, if you wish to live with pain when your beloved Natsu finally gets together with Lucy, be my guest. This is a onetime offer. If you refuse now, you won't get another chance, Lisanna Strauss”, voice answered._

_Lisanna wasn't sure what she should do. Offer was both dangerous and illegal but oh-so-very tempting. A little bit more time with Natsu wouldn't hurt, right? At this moment of desperation Lisanna would do anything – and she did mean anything – to get to spend more time with her beloved Natsu Dragneel._

” _What do I have to do make this Potion?” she asked from the voice, not realizing what kind of a consequences it might have years later._

_Or the fact that she had just walked into Regina Heartfilia's trap which had been exactly what the dark sorceress had wanted to happen._

” _Yeah, who would even love a woman like you, Lisanna? You made me drink a forbidden Potion! You should go to prison!”_

That was the last straw. If Natsu's true feelings were of pure hate, Lisanna should just give up. There was no point in fighting anymore. She sighed and put her hands down.

Mocking voices turned into mocking laughter that became louder and louder.

Lisanna did nothing to stop it.

This was exactly what she deserved for betraying everyone.

”Please take me, darkness”, she whispered, and that was the last moment of control she remembered.

Once the smoke around her disappeared, she saw Regina Heartfilia standing in front of her.

”I have a mission for you, Lisanna Strauss. I want you to stop Natsu and Happy from getting to the temple. Only Nora is allowed because she holds the missing pieces of Lucy Heartfilia's soul inside her soul. Once she and Lucy has joined together, we can proceed with our plan”, dark sorceress said.

”Yes, Master. Your words are my command”, Lisanna answered, and she walked out of the white room.

*******

Natsu, Nora and Happy had just arrived to the floating fortress' main entrance, which was a huge door on the top of the stone stairs in the front yard. They opened the door and snuck in. The entrance hall was big and brightly lit. It was also a very dusty place, and there was spider webs everywhere on the pillars that kept the ceiling from falling down. On the other side of the room there was another door on top of another set of stairs that went upstairs and two smaller doors on the left and right sides of the room.   
”Which door should we take?” Natsu asked quietly so that nobody would hear them.

Their plan was to get Lucy out quietly, and then take her somewhere where she would be safe until the sorceress was dead.

”I say we take one of the side doors”, Nora whispered. ”I'm pretty sure the big one's heavily guarded on the other side.”

”Which one?” Happy asked.

Nora closed her eyes, and a golden aura appeared around her. Then she opened her eyes and pointed at the left side door.

”The room where Lucy's held in is in that direction.”

Natsu and Happy nodded.

The trio hurried as quietly as possible through the door to a new corridor. On the floor there was a old, dirty red carpet. On the left side there were windows from where they were able to see a thunderstorm taking place outside. Rain pitter-pattered on the windows as the lightning stroke – causing the whole corridor lit up. On the right side of the corridor there was three gargoyle statues that looked both suspicious.

Natsu and Nora glanced at each other and took few steps forward.

Gargoyles' heads turned to their direction at once.

”They're enchanted by dark magic”, mumbled Nora in a very quiet voice. It was so quiet that only Natsu was able to hear it.

”Let's just walk on”, she added.

Natsu nodded and followed her lead as Nora walked past the gargoyles without even looking at them anymore. Natsu and Happy did the same. Gargoyles followed their every move with their dark lacrima eyes, but they didn't do anything else. Once the trio had gotten past them, gargoyles' heads turned back to the windows.

”I thought they were going to attack us”, Happy said quietly as he sat on Natsu's head.

”They might have done so if we had touched them”, Nora answered as she went to the next door. ”Which is why I think it's better if we don't touch anything in this castle.”

Natsu agreed.

Nora opened the door. It was a dark, empty corridor with stairs that went to the next floor. Nora went outside and took out one of the celestial spirit golden keys.

Natsu and Happy followed. Once the door closed behind them, a circle of black smoke appeared around them. And from the smoke appeared a small group of Soulless.

”Natsu, use fire on them! Now!” Nora yelled at once, as she put her hand up. ”Open! Gate of the Lion, Leo!”

”I would have appeared without being called, honey”, Loki's voice said.

”Loki?!” Natsu yelled as he punched a group of Soulless with Fire Dragon's Claws, causing them to disappear.

”Good to see you, Natsu. But let's chat more later”, Loki said. ”Regulus, give me power”, he added as his fists began to shine in golden light. He then punched two Soulless into face which made them disappear.

Nora was using Lucy's whip to destroy countless enemies at one strike as fast as she could, and to Natsu, she looked rather annoyed that their plan of a quiet rescue mission had failed. Natsu was definitely able to relate to that feeling – he was pretty sure that they would end up facing something more powerful before they found Lucy.

*******

Once the short battle was finished, the group stood in one place for a moment just to be ready if more Soulless appeared, but it was soon clear that it was over for now. Happy was floating in the air on his wings and looked around the staircase – carpet on the floor was on fire, and there was some cracks on the wall and on the floor but otherwise there was no damage. At least the group wasn't hurt.

”Are you going to join us now? Lucy might be happy to see you”, Natsu asked Loki.

”I can't”, he answered. ”These distortions in the spacetime are affecting my presence too severely in this world. I must go back while I still can. We know you can save her without our help.”

And with that, he disappeared with a pop.

”What does he mean by getting affected by the spacetime distortions?” Happy asked quietly as he descended from the air and was caught by Natsu.

”It means that the connection between this world and the Celestial Spirit World has weakened. I'm not able to call spirits every time I try. It's because the distortions are interrupting the connection. Lucy noticed it for the first time two years ago, and it has only gotten worse after that”, Nora explained as they continued following the stairs to the second floor. ”But everything should be fixed once I join Lucy and someone beats the living shit out of that woman. At least I hope it fixes everything.”

In the second floor they saw another long dusty corridor. There were dead flowers in the vases between the countless doors on left and right and above those flower vases and tables there were old paintings which were also very dusty.

”Hmm, it seems that I can't sense which door we should use so we should probably open them all”, Nora said. ”But Lucy is somewhere very high up in this castle, so we should be looking for stairs that goes up.”

Happy and Natsu nodded and moved to the left side of the corridor.

There was a huge window which Happy happened to look out – he noticed Crocus was on fire. Almost half of the houses were covered up in flames while citizens were guided through the evacuation gates outside of town. Outside the city there were trains where people hurried into. Happy couldn't help but wonder where those trains were headed to.

”Nothing here”, Natsu said, and closed the first door he had opened, bringing Happy back from his thoughts.

Natsu went to the next door, and shook his head again because the room did not include stairs. He walked to the third door and opened it. He was about to close it, but then decided otherwise and walked in.

”This one has Regina's scent all over it”, he whispered as an answer to Happy's silent question. ”I was thinking of looking around a bit. We might as well try to find her weakness as well and use it on her.”

”Good idea”, Happy answered and rose on his wings again in the old, dusty room.

He looked around. It was a very luxurious room by the looks of it; there was a huge bed on the one side of the room, a book shelf full of old books, a table and two chairs. Windows to the room where all broken and the velvet curtains that had once been whole, where now wrecked and mostly hang out hopelessly from the window. Underneath one of the broken window there was also a small couch which had once been red by the looks of it, but now rain and the years had covered it up with mold and weird plants Happy couldn't recognize.  
”Happy, come here”, Natsu said from a room that Happy hadn't noticed yet. He followed Natsu's voice there and noticed that it was a room made for children.

”What is this?” Happy asked, looking around.

Everything in this room was messed up. The small bed looked like the owner had left in a hurry. Shelves and cabinets were all open and emptied. On the floor there were toys everywhere.

”She had children”, Natsu said, surprised. ”It is true then. Luce and Regina are related.”

”You didn't believe it?” Happy asked.

”Not when she said so. You know villains always messes with our minds by telling lies. I didn't believe what she did but now I'm sure it was true”, Natsu explained. ”But I wonder who was the man Regina was able to have a family with and what happened?”

”I think the only way we can find that out is to go back in time”, said Nora's voice from behind them. She was leaning into the door frame when Happy looked at her and stepped into the room.

”Judging by the looks of this room, the kid was either taken away from her or the husband noticed something was wrong with Regina, took the kid – or kids – with him and left her here alone”, she said.

”How do you explain the broken windows in the bedroom?” Natsu asked.

”Someone could have done that after this place became deserted or it was Regina's outburst that caused them to break or maybe there was a war between Reana and Fiore and some soldiers came through those windows. We won't know unless we dig deeper, but right now we have other business to attend to”, Nora said. ”We need to stick to our plans to get Lucy out of here.”

Happy and Natsu nodded as an answer and then the boys followed Nora back to the corridor.

”I found the staircase hidden behind a cloth on the right end of this corridor”, Nora said before they even asked anything.

Boys just followed her quietly while looking around so no Soulless could surprise them like last time.

*******

In the lightly lit throne room Regina watched as the poor little group was desperately trying to save Lucy Heartfilia from one of her dark lacrima balls. Without even knowing that by helping her, they would give the final strike of death to the timeline as they knew it. Regina smiled as she watched the three – Natsu Dragneel, Nora and Happy – go further up of the floors of her fortress. Not that it really mattered to her. She wanted them to come, which is why she had used a spell on the building that did not allow Natsu to get his motion sickness.

Although it would have been very amusing if he did get it while meeting the person he most certainly did not wish to meet on the top floor. Nora would be the only one who would meet Lucy while Natsu and his stupid cat would meet their demise in Lisanna's hands.

”Soon I will have everything I have dreamed of”, Regina said and looked at one of the paintings in the throne room wall. ”Soon you, Theo, will also know your place in my beautiful plan”, she added.

The painting that had been painted of her long deceased husband Theodore Darcas did not answer to her but it still made her smile. Even he would feel Regina's wrath from the future once Horologium Saeculum was activated.

And Regina was going to make sure that he wouldn't forget it.

*******

Natsu, Happy and Nora were forced to go into hiding because the whole fourth floor was full of Soulless. They had to find another way to get to the top floor without getting into a deadly fight with this many Soulless against them. Natsu was sure that there was almost 100 of them. And even with his Dragon Slayer Magic, he knew he wouldn't take this many Soulless in one go without destroying the whole corridor. So, the trio returned to the third floor and tried to find another way back up.

”I think we should just go and clear the fourth floor”, Natsu said after they had been looking for clues of another route for 15 minutes. No matter what they had done in the rooms of the third floor, they found nothing.

”We can't take them all on”, Nora said, while looking at the wall close to a huge bed. ”I'm incapable of using Lucy's magic now, Happy can only fly – no offence, Happy – and you could destroy the whole floor with one Fire Dragon's Breath, Natsu. And what's more, you might even ruin our chances in getting to Lucy so I think it's better if we find another route.”

”What kind of route can we use then?” Happy asked.

”Easy”, Nora said and opened a small doorway to a dark corridor. ”We use these secret passageways to avoid the fourth floor. I can sense these will take us to her.”

”Alright then, let's go”, Natsu said and pushed Nora into the corridor.

Happy followed him and Natsu closed the door. ”I heard someone coming”, he whispered in the darkness.

”Then we should hurry”, Nora whispered back and put on a flashlight. ”This item is awesome. It was expensive as hell, but worth of all the money”, she added while she walked forward.

Happy and Natsu followed her. They soon found a old staircase which went upstairs.

”I wonder how far that goes”, Happy whispered.

”Hopefully to the top floor so we can avoid all enemies for now”, Nora answered. ”Let's move.”

Trio did so. Only voice that they heard came from the metal staircase as their shoes hit the steps. They didn't dare to say anything to one another in case the Soulless heard them. Getting ambushed on a old stairwell would not been nice at all.

Natsu was about to sneeze more than he could count on their journey in the paradise of dust and eventually he had to stop walking so he could cover his mouth and nose with his muffler. Nora and Happy covered theirs as with a piece of cloth Nora offered to Happy. Then the journey continued – until Nora accidentally stepped into a trick step and screamed in surprise. She was able to pull herself back up and looked at Natsu and Happy.

”I think it would be best if we hurry up. They might have heard me”, she whispered.

”Good idea”, Natsu answered and jumped over the trick stair.

Nora turned around and ran the stairs up. There she swore hard.

Natsu and Happy followed her and noticed that there was no more stairs to follow. ”Damn, what now?”

”We just have to hope that there isn't many Soulless on this floor... whatever floor it is”, Nora said and went to the left door. ”Check the other one, Natsu.”

Natsu nodded and went to the door on the right. He opened it a little bit and saw a empty living room there. Everything was destroyed. Even the black piano was in pieces. All curtains were on the floor and again, all windows were broken so rain easily got into the room, making everything smell disgusting and look moldy.

”What do you see, Natsu?” Nora asked quietly.

”A completely destroyed living room. You?”

”I see a empty corridor with a plate that says fifth floor but my senses are telling me to use your door.”

Natsu nodded and stepped into the room – even though he didn't even want to, and looked around more. He noticed another door on the left side of the door he had just used and walked to it. Nora and Happy followed him. Nora nodded and Natsu opened the red door. There was a new corridor which was, thankfully, empty of all enemies. He stepped out and looked around again. It was a lot similar to the second floor with its design, but this corridor wasn't as dusty and dirty as the previous ones had been. This one was actually clean which was a sign that there were people living in these rooms. Maybe Regina's maids?

”Lucy is being held in the sixth floor”, Nora said. ”We'll take these stairs up there”, she added as she hurried to the staircase that went upstairs. Natsu and Happy followed her. Natsu was already feeling excited. He would finally see Lucy again!

”Look out!” Happy yelled suddenly and grabbed Natsu and rose up to the air.

Natsu only blinked as his heart raced. He had almost been by the Soulless! Nora was surrounded by them with no way out.

”I gotta help her!” Natsu said and used Fire Dragon's Breath on the group of those black things. They all disappeared at once. And so did parts of the wall too. And the carpet. And all flammable wall decorations as well. Nora looked at him a annoyed look in her eyes.

”What did I tell you about using that breath in this castle, Natsu?” she asked.

”That I'm allowed to use it when you're in danger?” Natsu said.

”No, I told you to be careful so we won't fall down to the ground and die before Lucy is safe. Let's just go. I will make Lucy beat you up later”, Nora said and ran away to the sixth floor as Happy and Natsu descended back to the floor.

”This woman is not very nice compared to Luce”, Happy said.

”But she has the same temper as Luce”, Natsu said grinning. ”Let's go, buddy, our best friend is waiting for us!”

When they reached the sixth floor, Natsu had to cover his eyes because it was so bright. It was completely white. There was huge windows on both sides of it and they showed the storm outside had gotten more fierce than it had been earlier. Lightning's strikes made this white corridor even more bright, and Natsu who had gotten used to the more dimly lit corridors and almost dark secret passageways had to blink for a moment until his eyes got used to this brightness. He looked around and noticed a huge white door on the other end of the corridor.

”I can sense Lucy in that room”, Nora said. ”Let's go.”

”Let's do that”, Natsu said, grinning.

He was so close he could feel himself turn back to the way he used to be when Lucy was still in Fairy Tail. He would get all those happy days back, and that would be awesome. He also noticed he already began to make plans on future missions and even thought of telling her how he felt.

As they reached the huge door, they realized they didn't know how to open it. But they didn't have to even figure it out because the moment Nora put his hand on it, it opened before their eyes. Room behind the door was covered in white mist, and it was just as white as the corridor was. Natsu, Happy and Nora glanced at each other and nodded. It was time to do what they came here to do. Nora entered the room first. The door began to close behind her.

”Nora!” Happy yelled.

Nora turned around just in time to see the door close. Then a black javelin appeared out of nowhere in front of Natsu and Happy, followed by a swirl of black smoke from where appeared a girl with white short hair and orange eyes.

”Lisanna!” Natsu yelled. ”Step out of the way!”

”No”, Lisanna said as she took one of the Javelins into her hand. ”I've been given an order to keep you out of the white room, and I'm surely going to do so.”

”What the hell has happened to you?! This isn't you!”

Lisanna just smiled. ”Let's just say that I have been given a great gift from the Queen of Darkness, and I will gladly use it on you to see how it works before she lets me to go kill every survivor in Crocus.”

She snapped her fingers and a line of seven Javelins appeared to the air over her.

”Care to play a little game, Dragneel?” she asked as she swinged her hand and Javelins flew right at Natsu who dodged them all by jumping backwards.

Happy eventually grabbed him by the back and they tried to escape from the deadly rain of Dark Javelins.

*******

”Natsu! Happy!” Nora yelled at the door, while she tried to push it open to help them. It was evident that someone had attacked them. She could hear the voices of a battle clearly. But the door did not budge.

She sighed.

How could she be so stupid to not to know that there would be an ambush in the top floor?!

_Sting would laugh his head off if he knew,_ Nora thought as she turned around, feeling so ashamed.

”And why didn't I say goodbyes to him? Or even kiss him goodbye?” Nora whispered.

Now that she was reaching the end of her journey, all she could think about was the fact that she didn't even say goodbyes to the man she loved so much.

”I must have hurt him... Sting, I'm sorry...”

” _Nora...”_ said a voice in the mist. _”Nora...”_

”What's that?” Nora said, looking around, and getting to a battle stance in case there was some other surprises coming up.

” _Don't be afraid, Nora...”_ voice said again. _”There are no dangers in the mist. I will keep you safe, my warrior. Come, save the Seeress.”_

Nora calmed down.

This voice didn't have the same menacing tone in it as there was when Regina Heartfilia spoke. This new voice was a very kind one. Nora looked back at the closed door behind her and hoped that Natsu and Happy would survive the battle against Lisanna. Nora was sure that it was her they were fighting against because Regina herself was sitting down in her own room somewhere in the castle, waiting for the right moment to use Horologium Saeculum.

_Wait, what did that woman just call Lucy? A Seeress or something?_ Nora thought, remembering the weird name the mysterious voice had given Lucy.

”What do you mean by calling Lucy a 'Seeress'?” she said aloud.

” _We don't have time for questions, Nora. You must hurry”,_ mysterious voice said.

The mist disappeared along with the presence of that mysterious woman and Nora was able to see what was behind the mist – a ancient looking temple-ish room where everything was made of stone. She looked back at the huge door and noticed it was also now made of stone. Had the white room been nothing but an illusion? Was this the real room Lucy was held a prisoner?

”Well, no matter what it is, I will definitely get past this”, Nora said and hurried forward. She was still very sad about leaving Sting behind without saying goodbyes. She was also worried about Natsu and Happy. But the door didn't reopen, so she had to go forward and save Lucy herself. It was the best thing to do.

”Nora, leave! It's a trap!” yelled Lucy's voice from somewhere upstairs.

Nora couldn't locate her because there was too much echo.

”I'm sorry, Lucy, but I have to save you for Fairy Tail's sake. No matter what”, Nora mumbled as she entered the first active elevator to the next floor.

*******

Lucy Heartfilia had been dragged from the white room to this weird temple-ish room by Regina herself few moments ago. Then she was told to wait there until Nora comes to her. Lucy had tried to ask where Lisanna had gone off to, but Regina only smiled and left the room. It was right at that moment that Lucy knew.

It was a trap.

Nora and the other rescuers who would come to her would be ambushed and probably imprisoned. She was hoping she could find a way out of this castle before that, but then she had felt it – Nora was close. Really close. She was already in the temple, coming towards Lucy in a hurry.

”Nora, leave! It's a trap!” she yelled automatically, but got no answer.

Lucy felt tears in her eyes. She had done so much to try to prevent Horologium Saeculum from getting activated and everyone else wanted to come and save her! This definitely wasn't what Lucy had had in her mind when she had done whatever it was during the last three years.

_It sucks that I can't remember everything,_ Lucy thought and brushed away the tears. _Nora has all the important memories..._

”I'm here!” Nora's voice yelled from the bottom of the stone stairs. ”I'm going to save you...” She climbed the stairs while she began to shine golden light. Lucy reacted to it the same way. She stood up from the stone floor and waited for Nora to get up. Once she did, her eyes were already full of tears.

”Please tell Sting I love him and that I'm sorry I didn't say goodbye to him”, she just said as she took Lucy's hands into hers. ”Promise me you tell him that, Lucy!”

”I will tell him”, Lucy said. ”And you do know that once we have become one again, Regina will activate Horologium Saeculum, right?”

Nora just smiled. ”You will fix it. I know you will. That salmon haired guy who loves you came all this way to save you because he believes that too!”

That took Lucy by surprise. Natsu was in the castle too?

”Natsu is here, too?” she asked.

”He was ambushed by Lisanna but he will come here when he's done with that battle”, Nora said as she turned into golden light.

”You will see him soon, Lucy”, she added as she turned into countless small golden light balls that flew into Lucy's body.

A bright wave of golden light covered every corner of the room as forgotten memories began to flow through Lucy Heartfilia's mind.

As she was about to lose conciousness, she could have swore she heard _his_ voice calling her name.

*******

While Nora was hurrying to save Lucy behind the door, Natsu was too busy with fighting against Lisanna, who seemed to be unbeatable. Her ways to use those Dark Javelins was something that Natsu hadn't expected to see. She used them like a professional who had been doing this for years, and that really bothered him. Did he really even have a chance against this new, evil, Dark Lisanna? Her level of power was a lot higher than ever before.

”It's a sad thing that you can't see how your precious Lucy regains her lost memories”, Lisanna said as she walked calmly towards Natsu and Happy, who were gasping for air from all the jumping in order to avoid all the sharp Javelins.

”I assume the last piece has reached the temple hall. She would join Lucy, and my Master would be able to unleash the horrors of Horologium Saeculum.”

”We will not let you do that”, Natsu said. ”We will stop you both.”

”You trying to stop me has proven me that you are weak at heart, Dragneel. Once the spell is activated, there is no way to stop it anymore. And by the looks of it, your side is going to lose this battle. So why don't you just give in and accept your fate?” Lisanna asked as she pointed one of the Javelins at Natsu's neck.

”I could also kill you if you ask me nicely. I'm feeling very generous on this day of joy. If you die, Lucy will not survive her fall into darkness either.”

She looked at Natsu's horrified expression.

”Oh, you didn't know, did you? Master Regina will turn her into a tool of darkness as well once the spell is activated. If you're dead, her soul will be weak enough and she would become like me.”

”I'm not going to let that happen!” Natsu said, finding new powers of determination from inside him. He pushed the Javelin out of the way and punched Lisanna with all of his might.

Lisanna then snapped her fingers and more Javelins appeared. They imprisoned Natsu completely between them.

”I could give you this last strike of mercy now, Dragneel. Then she would feel it but –” she stopped talking and looked back at the door, which was about to open.

A bright golden wave of light came out of it.

It made Lisanna cuss and then disappear into the black swirl of smoke. Javelins around Natsu also disappeared into thin air.

”What's that?!” Happy asked. ”Why is it coming towards us?!”

”I don't care what it is! I'm gonna go get Lucy!” Natsu said. ”Let's fly, Happy!”

”Aye sir!” Happy said as he grabbed him and they flew through the golden waves of light that came out of the room towards the centre of all of it. Centre of light was so bright that it made lose his eyesight for a moment but the smell he got from the light was definitely –

”Lucy!” he yelled as he reached out to the light to grab her by the hand but instead he flew into the light along with Happy.


	13. A Memory Place

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm here with the next 3 chapters for this story. Thank you for all the Kudos I've been given for this story so far, I appreciate it very much! :) I hope you enjoy reading these chapters just as much as I enjoyed writing them in 2016 when I originally posted this story to ffnet. :)

_The City of the Forgotten Memories,  
_ _Memoria_

After flying into the light, Natsu and Happy found themselves in a weird white mist covered place. They were able to hear sea waves hitting the ground somewhere, and Natsu also saw a faint figure of a sctructure up ahead. There was also this familiar scent everywhere in the place but Natsu was unable to locate it. But there definitely was solid ground somewhere up ahead because of what he could see and hear.

”What is this place?” Happy wondered aloud.

”I have no idea, but I hope we get answers from that structure up ahead”, Natsu said.

And when they got closer to that said structure, they were able to see a beach of white sand, and white stairs that went up to the hill where the the structure Natsu had seen before was located. It was a city made of stone. It didn't look very lively though, so Natsu didn't really feel the need to go there. Instead, he looked around the beach.

”There!” he then said when he located a blonde unconcious girl laying on the sand near the water. Natsu and Happy flew to her and Natsu kneeled next to her. He turned her around and saw that it was Lucy.

”Is she alive?” Happy asked while he held her hand.

”She is. I can hear her heartbeat”, Natsu said. ”Let's wake her up by throwing some water on her face.”

” _Don't touch the water, Natsu Dragneel...”_ said a echoing voice everywhere in that mysterious place. It did sound familiar as well. Not evil, but very kind. It was as if he had heard this voice before in his life many, many times.

Could it be Lucy's voice?

But how could she be unconcious and still be aware of what is going on?

That was really weird.

Then he felt how Lucy began to stir and wake up. He let her go and she stopped moving for a moment before she opened her eyes. She noticed Happy and Natsu being there with her, blinked for a few times and then Natsu saw tears in her eyes.

”Luce, please don't cry. You know I can't stand seeing you sad”, Natsu said and hugged her.

”I'm not really sad”, Lucy answered after they retreated from the hug. ”I'm happy that I can see you guys again after all this time.”

” _It's time, Lucy Heartfilia. Come, step through the gates of Memoria”,_ said the echoing voice again, interrupting the reunion of the three best friends.

Lucy, however, just nodded and stood up.

”What's this about, Lucy?” Natsu asked.

”Something happened during the rejoinment between me and Nora, and the memories she held inside her did not return to me”, Lucy explained. ”This place is where all of them are stored now. This place is called Memoria, a place of the forgotten memories.”

”We will join you then, too”, Natsu said. ”It's like a job request at the guild. 'Make Sure Luce Gets Her Memories Back' or something.”

Lucy smiled. ”Thank you, Natsu. Happy. You two really are amazing.”

”We are family! We gotta help each other!” Happy said, and his voice echoed everywhere in the mysterious place.

Natsu agreed with him and Lucy just smiled even more.

”Let's go”, she said and the boys nodded.

And then the trio went to the stairs that would lead them to Memoria.

Lucy had a hard time to believe that she was still alive after the journey to Memoria. The moment the blinding light had engulfed temple in it, and her memories had began to return to her, she had heard Natsu's voice calling her name, but at the very same moment she had also felt a stinging pain in her chest that reminded her of the times when Regina was still inside her soul, trying to rip it open no matter how much Lucy had tried to stop her. This pain had made her fall unconcious, and then she had seen some weird visions of another beach that was black, and the city few meters away had been different as well. There was a huge clock standing in the middle of it. And that dream was gone sooner than Lucy could even understand it. She then felt how she flew through some sort of a corridor that had her memories full of it, but then everything had gone black. The next time she woke up, she was with Natsu and Happy on the white beach next to a place called Memoria. She really didn't know how she knew the name, but she just did.

And when it came to her memories, she was still missing the past three years of them. Last memory was that Regina kidnapped her three years ago and then everything was blank. What had gone wrong with the rejoinment? She thought she had done everything right! She told Nora to do everything as she told her!

Once she, Natsu and Happy arrived the gates of Memoria, they met a woman with dark skin, dark hair, golden eyes and a golden dress. She also had a weird round shaped, floating thing on top of her head.

”Welcome to Memoria”, woman said. ”My name is Eofra, I am the guardian of the forgotten memories.”

”Why am I here?” Lucy asked. ”I thought I did everything exactly how I was told to.”

”The vessel who was carrying your memories was too strong at heart and mind to be rejoined with you, Lucy Heartfilia. That's why she couldn't be allowed to rejoin you. She would have taken over the control of your mind and soul, erasing you from existence. That cannot happen because you still have to fulfill your destiny”, Eofra answered. ”As has the vessel. Her story is not over just yet.”

”Where did Nora go then?” Natsu asked curiously.

”It is not my business to know what happens between the Warrior and the Goddess of Time”, Eofra answered to him. ”But now the most important thing is to get your memories back, Lucy. Are you ready? Once you step through the gate, you can't return until all of your forgotten memories have returned to you.”

”I'm ready”, Lucy said. ”Natsu and Happy will come as well. I want them to know what happened after Regina kidnapped me.”

”Very well then, I will allow their presence”, Eofra said, and disappeared into a swirl of golden smoke.

As she disappeared, the gates to Memoria opened before Lucy's, Natsu's and Happy's eyes.

Natsu and Happy looked at Lucy, who nodded, and entered the city. As the three of them were in, the gates closed silently. They looked around and noticed the city was full of people who never said anything to each other. All of them just did their daily chores and didn't even care about each other's presence. As Lucy, Happy and Natsu walked through the streets made of white stone, they couldn't help but get shivers. Place was really creepy.

And then everything stopped.

At least for Lucy.

She began to feel dizzy and fell on her knees on the ground as the city of Memoria disappeared.

”Lucy? What's happening?” Natsu asked. ”Are you in pain? Can we help you?”

”I... I...” Lucy tried to form the right words but it just didn't help.

She looked around and noticed how everything turned into the ruins of Zephyrus.

And then she remembered.

_Lucy didn't even know what day it was anymore. She had been a prisoner in the city of Zephyrus for weeks – maybe even months – and soon she lost the track of time. It had made her feel hopeless. Every single day she had hoped that someone, anybody, would find her and take her away to somewhere. Even in her dreams that eventually turned into more real than reality itself, she was more happier._

_But then she had had enough._

_She just couldn't do it anymore._

_She had to get out._

_If enough time passed, Regina's darkness would have affected her or worse, every single fragment of her memories would disappear. Every time she fell asleep and woke up in the morning, one memory was gone. When she began to lose the memories of her guild and her friends, she decided it had to stop. She had to escape this prison she had been thrown into all those weeks ago. If Lucy did this, she might be able to get help in time to stop herself from forgetting things._

_It was exactly what she wanted._

_Especially when it came to Natsu and Happy – she couldn't afford to forget them._

_Not after what Lisanna had made them go through._

_Even just a thought of that white haired woman made Lucy feel angry._

_So when the day when Lucy was finally able to escape arrived, Loki was the one who rescued her. She was taken to the Celestial Spirit World for a day to make sure Regina would be unable to find her._

_After that one day – three months in Earthland – Lucy returned to her world and began her journey to find out what Regina was up to. She was obviously trying to find something to use in a big plan that wouldn't do anything good for the world._

” _I don't know where to start looking, Crux”, Lucy said on one rainy day when she had arrived to her old home mansion. She had needed shelter and this was the only place that was close enough to the place that came to her mind. She had then curled herself into a old blanket she had found and called her spirit Crux to help her._

” _The best place to start is the one where everything began”, Crux said._

” _I can't return to Zephyrus. I'll get caught”, Lucy said at once. ”It's no use...”_

” _I meant your guild library, Lucy. There is a book there that you need.”_

” _At Fairy Tail? How am I supposed to get there without getting caught?”_

_No matter how many times Lucy tried to deny it, Crux said it was the only way so Lucy just had to accept the fact that she had to go back to Magnolia. It didn't matter how afraid she was to go there. But in order to find what Regina was up to, she had to. There was no other place that had books that would have helped her. Not even the Magic Library Lucy had gone through the first thing she had returned to Earthland._

_Lucy waited for the guild to get quiet, and everyone to go to their own apartments. Then she snuck in through the back door and headed to the library as quietly as possible. She didn't want to look around because then she wouldn't be able to leave._

_Once she reached the library, she looked for the book, Myth and Magic of the Time Mages, that would have the information she was looking for. When she finally found the book, she grabbed it with her and was about to leave but she was stopped._

” _Why are you taking away that book, Lucy Heartfilia?” asked Mavis Vermillion, who was sitting on one of the tables at the guild hall._

” _I want to know what Regina Heartfilia is up to, Master. According to Crux, this book has the answer...” Lucy answered quietly._

” _Don't worry, they won't hear you. There is nobody here except you and me.”_

” _You knew I was going to come here tonight, didn't you?”_

” _Yes, I'm very aware of what's going on. And apparently, there is something big in the future that you must do, Lucy. Therefore I can't stop you from taking that book.”_

” _Thank you, First”, Lucy said, bowed, and then sneaked outside again from the back door. She hoped that nobody would realize that she had been at the guild that night._

_Then Lucy headed to the town exit._

_Once she was outside in the wilderness, she looked back._

” _Goodbye, everyone. I'm sorry this had to happen”, she whispered before turning her back on her home for the last time._

_She would never go back there._

”I'm so, so sorry”, Lucy whispered as the memory disappeared and turned into a golden ball that flew into her body. It made her body be engulfed in a golden light. She couldn't believe she had broken into Fairy Tail for that one stupid book! And then she left, saying goodbyes... because she had thought she was going to die or at least, disappear from the history. And now the book was in Regina's fortress so she could use all that time magic for her evil plans.

”Lucy, it's okay”, Natsu said and pulled her into a hug.

”But... I...” Lucy stammered, not knowing what to say.

”Something happens!” Happy interrupted them.

Lucy looked around and saw their surroundings change again. This time Lucy was wearing a cloak with a hood covering up her face while she was walking towards a city she could not remember by name.

_After Lucy had found out about Horologium Saeculum, she had looked for other information regarding the woman herself and it turned out that she was going planning a ultimate revenge on the Fiore. She wanted to make them suffer the way she had suffered after losing everything she had held dear in her life. And apparently she also wanted to get it all back, which was the reason why Horologium Saeculum was going to be activated. Lucy wanted someone to know all that, but still keep it a secret from Regina. That's why she wrote a letter, and decided to head to Sabertooth. She would give the letter to their master and ask them not to tell Fairy Tail about Lucy just yet._

_So when Lucy finally arrived to Sabertooth's guild, she noticed how surprised everyone looked when they recognized her. Lucy soon learned that there were rumors that said she had died in some sort of a incident at Fairy Tail. When she was asked what had happened, Lucy kept quiet. At the time it felt like the right thing to do – of course, she would later regret it – and then she was allowed to meet Sting, who was the guild's master._

” _What a way to come back from the dead, Heartfilia. You're scaring everyone in my guild”, blonde guy said in his office._

” _Well, it's better if it stays that way”, Lucy answered. ”I'm running away from an enemy who could easily destroy every place I go to.”_

” _I take that as a hint that you will refuse my offer for a stay?”_

” _Definitely, Sting.”_

” _You're putting me into a very awkward position because yesterday I promised Natsu-san that I will inform him if I happen to see you or get information on your whereabouts”, Sting said. ”And I'm not happy that I have to break that promise to him.”_

” _But you will have to”, Lucy said. ”They have no idea what's going on, and even I don't know everything.”_

” _So the end of the world is coming, huh?” Sting asked._

” _We still have time to find a way to defeat this person I'm running away from. If we do things right when the time comes, we'll survive”, Lucy said and stood up from the chair. ”But the thing is, the thing we need, is hidden somewhere. I'm going to go find it. And you will not tell them that you've met me when you talk to my friends again.”_

” _Fine then! But I will blame you when Natsu-san tries to kill me!” Sting told her retreating back._

_After that Lucy left the guild and never returned. She was sure that Sting would keep his promise while Lucy would try to find the Pure Light's Bless spell that she had remembered to read about in the past. It was a part of a legend that said it had been the only spell that had been able to defeat Regina Heartfilia. But the spell, and the whole story about Regina was forgotten, as it had became nothing but a myth. It was said to be a story someone had created three hundred years ago._

_But Lucy had found proof that everything the story said, had really happened. Regina was the queen of a forgotten Reanian Empire. And when she 'died', the empire fell with her. And it was made forgotten – by Fiore's royal family, which shocked Lucy. Why would Fiore's king Tomas do such a thing?_

_Then, on one day, Lucy was finally able to find where Pure Light's Bless was located. It was on the Isla of Shamans. In the capital city known as Capa. Spell was put into the library archives so that Shamans would easily guard it. There was always one or two Shamans doing so. When Lucy tried to tell them to give it to her, Shaman guards looked at her and said,_

” _The one with the shattered soul is not allowed to lay his or her hands on Pure Light's Bless. Only the one who's soul has fallen into darkness is allowed to lay his or her hands on the spell.”_

_Lucy was devastated._

Memory turned into a golden ball that flew into Lucy's body, causing it to shine again. She had completely forgotten how much sadness and hopelessness there really was in these memories. When she had started it, she had been sure that she would be lucky enough to destroy the woman herself without anyone's help, but now that she had to relive all these feelings and thoughts again, she realized that she should have asked help the moment she had escaped from Regina.

”I'm sorry I didn't come back to the guild to ask for help”, she said as she stood up from the ground.

She didn't feel dizzy anymore like when the first memory had appeared.

”Lucy, what's done is done”, Natsu said. ”We will defeat her. We just have to do it the hardest way by the looks of it.”

Lucy looked at him. ”Do you honestly think we might have a chance?”

”We are mages of Fairy Tail. We don't know when to give up. Don't you remember?” Natsu said, grinning. ”She's gonna get beaten to a pulp soon, I promise!”

Lucy smiled.

Natsu's attempts at cheering her up always worked.

”Our scenery's changing again!” Happy interrupted their little moment together.

Their surroundings changed into a dimly lit cottage, and Lucy sat there in front of a Shaman. The look on her face was very determined.

” _So you're absolutely sure that you want all of your lost memories back?” asked the head Shaman in the town of Corale._

_Lucy had went there because she was tired of fearing how many memories she would lose during her sleeping. To get them back, she had decided to go to the Isla of Shamans once again. But this time, she would ask help for her little problem instead of trying to get Pure Light's Bless into her hands._

” _Of course I'm sure”, Lucy answered. ”I don't remember anything from my childhood anymore. I have lost so many memories that I hold dear in my heart that it saddens me. If I don't do this, I will lose myself completely.”_

_Head Shaman looked at her a thoughtful look on his face. He was a old man with a dark skin and a grey beard. He had a headgear made of bones on his head, which had very cool looking horns attached to it. He was wearing a grey fur because at that time of the year it was very cold on the northern island all Shamans lived on. He had a stick that was longer than him in height, and had feathers and pearls at the top of it._

” _There is a way to rebuild your soul”, Shaman said. ”But it requires all the missing parts to be in your possession as well.”_

” _What do you mean?” Lucy asked, feeling confused._

” _It means that we have to create a vessel that hunts down the missing parts of your shattered soul, Miss Heartfilia.”_

” _A vessel? You mean... like, a another version of me?”_

” _Exactly. Only someone who looks like you will be able to gather all the pieces together because you're the only one they can trust”, Shaman explained._

_He then touched Lucy's hand and closed his eyes._

” _Yes, you have lost about 45% of your memories, mostly from your childhood and before you joined Fairy Tail. And few parts of your memory after that are gone as well”, he said after few minutes._

” _I know”, Lucy said, feeling sad._

” _We will create the vessel at once”, Shaman decided and let go of her hand. ”The sooner the better, as you said.”_

” _What do I have to do?” Lucy asked._

” _Nothing. You just sit there and let me handle this. I have done this few times before. There are always people who somehow finds a recipe of Memory Loss Potion into their hands and then causes suffering to their victims”, he mumbled on as he got up from the chair he had been sitting on and came over to Lucy._

_He then began to mumble something in a language Lucy was unable to understand while he held his other hand on Lucy's head, and she began to feel how something was gently taken out of her. When he took his hand off her head, Lucy saw a ball that was shining in a gold light to float to the ground and take a human form._

_It was a girl, who could have been a exact copy of Regina herself! Girl's hair was as black as raven, and her eyes were the most deepest blue Lucy had ever seen._

” _This is the vessel”, Shaman said. ”You, Lucy, will have to be the one who gives her guidance.”_

” _Why does she look like Regina?” Lucy asked as she stood up from her chair._

” _She is the part of your soul that was affected by Regina's darkness the most. In other words, she is your darkness.”_

_That surprised Lucy completely. ”What does that mean?”_

” _It means that at some point on the timeline you would have eventually fallen into darkness. That's why I have extracted her from your soul that yours will be pure once again”, Shaman answered and smiled._

” _Who... am I...?” asked the vessel. ”I don't remember anything...”_

_Lucy took her hands into hers and smiled at the surprised looking girl. ”Your name is Nora.”_

” _Nora...” dark haired girl said, and then her eyes became more lively. ”My name is Nora.”_

” _Yes, and I have a mission for you.”_

” _I'd do anything for you, Real One”, Nora answered. ”What is it?”_

” _I want you to gather all the missing parts of my soul and bring them back to me. Then we will be able to join together once more”, Lucy said. ”I want you to join Sabertooth. Let Sting Eucliffe know what has happened, and ask him and his guild to help you.”_

” _I do as you say, Real One”, Nora answered._

_The next day Nora left on a journey to go to the Sabertooth while Lucy stayed behind in Corale. She was told to stay there so that the Shaman would use his magic once Nora returned to the city. Lucy could only hope that her mission would go well and that there would be no problems along the way._

_Few weeks later – after the day Lucy had arrived to Corale and Nora had been created – Lucy was feeling restless. She was sure that something was about to happen. And that made her really glad that she had transferred all her memories of her knowledge of Regina into Nora in case the dark sorceress was to find Lucy. If she did, she wouldn't be able to get it out of Lucy because she wouldn't be able to remember._

_But on that particular day everything ended._

_At midnight, Corale's defense system noticed a increased amount of dark magic present in the city. As the evacuation sirens went off, it was already too late – Soulless Army had taken the city under their control and turned almost every single living thing into one of them. Shamans protecting Lucy were the only ones left. They hid Lucy to the basement and promised that Regina won't get her._

” _Where is Lucy Heartfilia?” asked Regina coldly upstairs ”I have been looking for her for years now. Please don't get on my nerves.”_

” _We know nothing of a person known as Lucy”, head Shaman said._

” _You are lying and you know that very well”, Regina just said._

_Lucy's ears were then filled with screams of pain and horror and she knew very well of what had happened – head Shaman had been turned into a Soulless._

” _Now, my little pet”, Regina said upstairs after few minutes. ”Show me the way to Lucy Heartfilia, and don't even dare to distract me or I will destroy you.”_

_Lucy heard her footsteps on the wooden floor and panicked. ”Oh no, no, no, no... You can't come here...” She took out Loki's key._

” _Open, gate of the lion. Leo!”_

_Nothing happened. Loki did not appear._

_She tried every other key as well, but none of them worked. Why didn't they work when she needed them?!_

_Stupid distortions ruined everything – Oh yeah, I gave my keys to Nora... she remembered. She should have kept them with her instead..._

” _Oh, here you are, my little tool of darkness”, Regina's voice said from the doorway of the basement. ”It's time you stop running away from your fate, Lucy.”_

” _You're not going to take me!” Lucy yelled, even though she was more scared than she wanted to admit._

_Head Shaman Soulless looked at her with its creepy yellow eyes, and did not even recognize her anymore._

” _Oh, but I will”, Regina said as she uplifted her hand a bit and Lucy rose to the air. Then she felt how black ropes appeared out of thin air to bind her so that she wouldn't be able to move anywhere._

” _Your fate is to stay with me, Lucy. You will never see anyone you hold dear again. That is how this story ends.”_

” _No...” Lucy said, feeling tears in her eyes._

_She couldn't believe she was a prisoner of this evil menace once again. She found herself in her white prison in Regina's floating fortress and looked outside the window that night – the last day of her freedom._

_The next day Regina began to take over North Fiore and turn everyone into Soulless as she looked for Pure Light's Bless even more passionately._

Lucy already felt sad when the memory joined her other memories. She remembered how scared she had been. How hopeless she had eventually became when she had accepted that she wouldn't be able to get out this time. And that was when she accepted her fate. No matter what it had been at the time. She also remembered how Regina had eventually found the _The_ Myths _and the Magic of the Time Mages_ , from which where she learned that she also needed Lisanna to be present at the moment when Horologium Saeculum was activated. And that made her return to the Isla of Shamans, which she destroyed.

”So you were on the Isla of Shamans”, Natsu said in a weird voice.

When Lucy looked at him, she saw tears in his eyes.

Happy's expression was also surprised and sad at the same time.

”Yes, I was”, Lucy said. ”And I knew you were all there as well. In the same city, at the same time. Looking for me.”

”Why didn't you come to us?” Happy asked.

”I was broken”, Lucy answered. ”I couldn't face you when I couldn't even remember all of our adventures together anymore. And Regina had threatened she would kill all of you if I ever returned.”

”I can't believe we were so close to you and still couldn't get you”, Natsu said. ”It was the same day we began to think that it would be time to stop the search, too...”

Lucy couldn't believe it. They had been searching for her for three years?!

”Natsu... thank you.”

”For what?”

”For looking for me even when it was hopeless in the first place”, Lucy said and smiled.

Natsu smiled back at her.

”Hey, look! There's another memory!” Happy yelled, interrupting Natsu's and Lucy's little moment.

They both turned around and saw the surroundings change into the white room, only a few months later after Lucy's imprisoment.

_Again, Lucy lost the track of time soon after getting locked up. She was only able to tell when the day and night changed but she didn't know what day it was, or what time of the day it was because there was no clock in the room. But she was sure that she had been a prisoner at least three months now. She hoped that Nora's mission was going well, and that she wouldn't go to the Isla of Shamans again._

_Then, on one night when Lucy tried to sleep, she woke up to a weird glow of golden light in the room and opened her eyes. She noticed her left arm was shining gently in the darkness and wondered what that might be. There was definitely a mark on her skin._

_But what for?_

_Once the glow went out, the mark turned black. It was a weird circle with a shape of a woman standing in the circle, holding a huge clockface over her head. Lucy didn't know where it came from, but once she touched the mark, her whole world changed. She could see a young version of herself walking on the streets of Magnolia when she encountered –_

” _Natsu?” Lucy whispered while she looked how Natsu, Erza, Gray and Happy talked to the little girl who was looking for the lost key of Aquarius._

_Then, the scene changed – into a another Lucy, who was walking on the streets in Crocus in her purple dress. This Lucy was working on something as she was going towards the library. Once she entered, she went to the 'Time Magic' section and began to look through the books._

” _What are you doing? Are you supposed to do that?” Lucy in the white room wondered._

_Lucy in Crocus dropped the book she had been holding, and looked around herself._

” _Who was that?” she asked._

” _I'm me, Lucy”, Lucy said. ”And you're me.”_

” _Oh, you're the Real One!” the another Lucy – later known as Ghost Lucy – said in her mind, sounding relieved. ”I was worried that the evil woman found me.”_

” _She's busy somewhere else.”_

” _I want to rejoin you”, Ghost Lucy said. ”I... Crocus is full of spacetime distortions these days. I can't stay here...”_

” _Don't worry”, Lucy said. ”Someone will come and get you. Then you'll join me again.”_

_Then the connection was cut. But Lucy's weird journey through the pieces of her soul wasn't over yet. She suddenly found herself in Nora's head while she was... naked in Sting's bed?!_

” _We shouldn't be doing this”, Nora just told him. ”Why am I doing this?”_

” _Because you can't resist me, and I make you feel good, babe”, Sting grinned while laying on top of her._

_Lucy cut off the connection at once, her face red as a tomato. What the heck was Nora doing? Having an affair with Sting? Didn't she know that she would disappear from existence once the mission was complete?!_

_Later, however, Lucy reopened the connection with Nora and gave her orders regarding Ghost Lucy and Little Lucy, which were the last two pieces of her soul Nora would have to find. She told Nora that she would find one piece in Crocus. Then she told Ghost Lucy that Nora would come for her and also gave this Lucy a mission to tell Natsu and others that Regina was going to attack Crocus after she had fetched Lisanna and Pure Light's Bless._

_To Little Lucy she told to come to Crocus._

_Also, to Nora she said that it was time for Sting to give the letter from two years ago to Fairy Tail. Then everything would be ready for the battle for freedom._

_It was, however, very sad that Crocus would be the place where that battle took place._

The last forgotten memory turned into golden ball and returned to Lucy, who began to glow golden light again. It was the first time in three years she had felt whole – and it was a great feeling, and that made her smile. The city of forgotten memories reappeared as well, which was a sign of the memory trip to be over and done with. Now, it would be time to go back to Crocus. But first, Lucy walked over to Natsu and hugged him.

”What's gotten into you, Luce? You're such a weirdo”, he said but he hugged her as well.

”I just felt like hugging you, that's all”, Lucy answered as she let go of him and picked Happy up. ”And you're the most cutest cat I've ever seen, Happy”, she told him and hugged him too.

”Don't you ever leave us again like this, Luce!” Happy just said, while his eyes were full of tears. ”I will never forgive you!”

”Fine, I won't buy you fish once we get home”, Lucy said, knowing how that kind of a threat worked on him.

”I changed my mind”, Happy said at once.

”Ohh... Luce, something's up”, Natsu said, looking around.

Lucy turned her attention to him, and noticed it too – Memoria was disappearing into the white mist around them.

”How are we supposed to get out of here?” Lucy asked, feeling panic taking over her, freezing her insides.

”I have no freaking idea!” Natsu said but they were unable to do anything, because the mist caught them up and shallowed them along with the city. It was so thick that all three of them felt like getting suffocated.

And eventually, they all lost their conciousness.


	14. The Echoes Of Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the second chapter of this week. This is the last chapter of the second arc in this story, and I will post the prologue chapter for the next arc next. :) The two new characters at the end of this one will be seen again in the future chapters as they both have their own storylines in this story. :)

When Natsu and Happy opened their eyes again, they laid on the floor of the weird templeish structure – which Lisanna had called The Vestige earlier – in Regina's floating fortress. He rose to his feet and made sure that he wasn't hurt and did the same for Happy.

”Natsu...” said Lucy's voice from few meters away from him.

Natsu looked at her and saw her being kneeled on the floor, surrounded by the Soulless while Regina Heartfilia herself stood behind her satisfied smirk on her face.

”And now, 'The One Who Is Embraced By The Pure Light' is reborn”, she said. ”Thank you for your help, Dragneel. Without you this would have never worked out.”

”What are you going to do with Luce?!” Natsu asked, furious. Was he seriously going to lose his best friend again?! ”Hand her over and go to hell!”

”Oh, someone's a little bit over sensitive now”, Regina mocked him, and smiled. ”Must be that weak heart of yours that makes you behave this way.”

”Hand her over!” Happy said. ”I will make you eat so much fish that you start to hate it!”

”And you're nothing but a little cockroach compared to me, stupid cat”, Regina told him. ”But I have better things to do than talk to you two.”

She swung her hand once and Natsu and Happy both flew against a stone pillar behind them, and Regina tied them up on it with magical ropes. Then she said something in a weird language and the temple structure began to crumble.

*******

Everyone else who was fighting against the Soulless Army in the city had no idea what had just taken place in the floating fortress, but they did hear the crumbling noises when the fortress was surrounded by three magic circles that destroyed the stone structures. Everyone thought the fortress was now destroyed because of the dust that covered it – and they hoped that it was Natsu who did it – they were all proven wrong as a huge coffin looking structure appeared from the dust and moved over the city towards the circle of clouds that had appeared in the sky during the thunderstorm. This weird, ancient looking structure stopped moving once it was directly underneath that circle. Black magic circles were placed on underneath the scruture to keep it floating in the air.

”Look out!” Rogue yelled as someone jumped out from the scruture and this was followed by more Soulless – they were directed at the areas that had been barricaded by the fire. Civilians were in complete panic and began to run towards the evacuation gates – especially when black Javelins began to fly in every direction from the dark smoke.

Erza saw a swirl of black smoke appear in the middle of the crowd and a glimpse of a Dark Javelin slicing people who screamed in horror. Lisanna then summoned a swarm of Javelins that she sent to destroy the barricades. She definitely didn't care about the civilians' lives at all, Erza noticed.

”Oh, stop crying, you maggots”, Lisanna told a few wounded people who were laying on the ground after her deadly attack. ”The Soulless will hear you and think you're their dinner.”

Group of people went into a total panic when the black monsters were mentioned.

”Lisanna!” Erza yelled. ”Leave the civilians alone!”

”Oh, I didn't see you there, _Titania”,_ Lisanna said in a mocking voice. ”Are you seriously the only mage ready to challenge me? Am I really that frightening to them?” she then called one of her Javelins into her hand.

”Let's do this then, Erza. But you're the one who is going to die.”

”We'll see about that”, Erza said. ”Requip! Adamantine Armor!” she changed into her armor just in time when a swarm of Javelins appeared out of nowhere to hit her from every direction. Erza was, however, able to see a glimpse of white smoke rising into the swirl of clouds above the city before that – what was that for?

*******

Lucy was unable to look at the destruction in Crocus. It really made her feel despair and hopelessness. If she had just asked help from the guilds despite Regina threatening to kill all of them, they might have had a chance to stop this crazy woman in time. Now it was already too late. No matter what others did in the doomed city, they wouldn't be able to stop this anymore.

Regina Heartfilia was definitely going to win this battle.

Lucy glanced at the woman, who had just sent Pure Light's Bless into the sky. White smoke rose into the clouds and created a bright circle of light around it. Regina smiled at the result – Lucy noticed – and felt really scared.

What was going to happen next?

”Let me free, woman!” Natsu yelled as he was still tied to the stone pillar.

”No, I can't do that, Dragneel”, Regina said, smiling. ”I want you to stand there and watch how your beloved Lucy becomes my Warrior of Darkness.”

”Luce will never give in to you!” Happy yelled. ”She will beat you to a pulp instead!”

”Oh, now that would be interesting to see. A weak Celestial Spirit Mage against the Queen of Darkness. You must be joking”, Regina said and laughed.

Lucy smiled.

Natsu and Happy really did believe in her.

But how could she beat Regina when she was unable to call forth her spirits? These distortions in the spacetime had caused a complete disconnection between her and her spirits!

”I will find another way”, Lucy whispered. She looked up into the swirl of clouds.

”Maybe... maybe I will find a way from another place and time...”

”You most certainly will!” Natsu yelled, but then went quiet as Regina had begun to choke him by using her magic.

”Your yelling is distracting and very unpolite”, evil sorceress told him. ”Be quiet and face your doom, Dragneel.”

”Leave him alone!” Lucy yelled and took a rock into her hand. She threw it towards Regina's direction and hit her into her back.

Regina stopped choking Natsu – he coughed and tried to catch his breath – and then the sorceress turned around to face Lucy, who picked up another rock.

”I may not be able to use my spirits now, bitch, but one day on the new timeline I will and then you're gonna get it!” blonde yelled.

”So you think that there's a possibility that you'll be stronger on the new timeline?” Regina asked, looking amused.

”I'm pretty sure that somewhere there is a timeline where I'm strong enough to keep everyone safe from you, Regina!” Lucy told her.

”I admire your determination, Lucy, but I doubt there is a timeline where you could beat me”, Regina said. ”Oh, look, it's time”, she pointed at Lucy's hands.

Lucy looked at them and noticed they were already shining in light.

Her whole body began to shine in pure light.

Lucy couldn't understand what was going on!

Why did this...?

Even her eye sight began to get blurry.

”Lucy, your eyes are white and shiny!” Happy yelled. ”It's so bright!”

That was the last thing Lucy heard and saw before she fell into a trance.

She just stood in the middle of the floor while the swirl of clouds above began to change color from white into gold.

*******

After the burning barricades were blown out of the way, Sting had found himself fighting alone a huge herd of Soulless. He knew he couldn't take them all on alone so he decided to hold them back as long as he could and hoped that the gates would be closed before that. Almost all civilians were already outside. There were only a few of them still waiting their permission to go through.

Sting was also often distracted from the battle because of weird glimpses and changes in the area that had started to happen once the swirl of clouds had turned gold. He had even noticed that the evacuation gate along with anyone near it kept disappearing and then reappearing over and over again. Even some of the things they said were repeated over and over like some sort of a broken record.

” _Sting, go get Lucy and Natsu out of The Vestige!”_ ordered a female voice in his head suddenly. It sounded like –

”Nora?!” he said aloud and looked around but saw no one.

Was he hallucinating at a time like this?!

Why would Nora talk to him if she had already returned to Lucy? It made no sense!

” _Leave the gate, Sting! You'll die if you stay there!”_ voice said again, and it definitely sounded like Nora's.

” _Nora...?”_ he asked in his mind, but the other voice was already gone.

He looked at the huge floating structure – The Vestige – and then back at the evacuation gate. The last person had just went outside and the soldiers were closing it. They all looked pale as the army of the Soulless was approaching them. Sting knew the voice was right. They would all die if they stayed there.

”Get out of here, you people! We can't stop this many Soulless!” Sting yelled at them. ”Lector, we gotta go save Natsu and Lucy. They're in trouble!” he told to his Exceed.

Lector nodded and rose on his wings. Then they flew towards together the top floor of the ancient Vestige. Sting didn't know what this thing had been used for, but it did look very interesting. If they weren't in the middle of war, he would go explore that place and maybe find some clues of what it was created for. Also, he would check it out in order to find clues of Nora. He was now sure that she was still alive somewhere.

_She never rejoined Lucy's soul. I need answers from Lucy. And if Regina stops me, I will destroy her!_ he thought as they flew past the edge of the top floor.

He saw Lucy standing motionless on the stone floor, while her eyes and body were engulfed in light, while Natsu and Happy were tied up to a stone pillar. Regina herself was looking at Lucy with a satisfied smirk on her face.

”Oi, you black haired bitch! What are you doing to Lucy Heartfilia?!” Sting asked her. ”I need answers to a lot of questions and she has them!”

Regina turned her attention to him as he and Lector landed on the stone floor.

”Oh, did you run away from my Soulless, Sting Eucliffe? Or were you given some pathetic mission to save these two? You see, it's too late for you. The present will soon be changed. No matter what you do, it's not going to work.”

”We'll see about that!” Sting yelled as he readied his first attack. ”I'm gonna stop you!”

”I can't let you interfere with my plans”, Regina said and snapped her fingers.

Black ropes came out from the floor and tied him and Lector up. He tried to use his magic but noticed he couldn't.

Regina smiled. ”I can't let you ruin my wonderful plan. Nobody can save you now.”

”I will once I get rid of these! I'm gonna save Nora wherever she is!” Sting yelled while he struggled against the ropes – but it was no use. Ropes were too tight.

”Don't give up, Sting”, Natsu said. ”We gotta get free to help Luce free!”

”But the ropes are so tight, how do you think we can get free, Natsu-san?” Sting asked. ”It prevents us from using our magic, too.”

”If you got enough will power and something you wanna protect, you'll get through even without magic!” Natsu struggled against the ropes more.

_He does have a point too,_ Sting thought as he turned his head back to Lucy, who just stood on the stone floor without even noticing something was up.

_If I'm gonna get my answers from Lucy Heartfilia, I have to get her out of here. Sooner the better!_

*******

At the same time, without even knowing what was going on on top of the Vestige, Erza and Lisanna were engaged in a fierce battle in the city. Gray and other mages that were present were trying to create new barricades to keep the Soulless out so the civilians that were still present in the area would safely escape. The ongoing battle was interrupting as Lisanna had decided to stop them from leaving. That's why her attacks were mostly directed at the townfolk.

”You're already getting out of breath, Erza”, Lisanna mocked her when she was finally able to trip her with her Javelin.

Erza fell on her back to the ground, gasping for air.

Lisanna put her Javelin's sharp, curved head against her throat. ”Any last words you'd like to say before I end your life?”

”You're not going to get away with this, Lisanna”, Erza said. ”Master knows what you're doing.”

”Who cares what the old geezer thinks? I'm better off this way. I'm more powerful than I was at your stupid guild. Look, even the guild mark is gone”, Lisanna said and showed how the dark Fairy Tail insignia was gone from her leg.

Erza couldn't help but wonder how had it disappeared like that if Makarov hadn't removed it himself.

”Oh, is that so?” Lisanna said, looking distracted as her eyes began to search the crowd for someone.

Erza took this chance and brushed the Javelin away from her throat and jumped back on her feet.

”Requip, Heaven's Wheel Armor”, she said and used her two swords to point them at Lisanna's throat. ”It's over now, Lisanna.”

”No, it's not”, Lisanna said and grinned.

Erza swore and jumped to the air to dodge the flying set of white haired girl's deadly Javelins that hit the ground exactly where she had stood a moment ago. Lisanna looked way too amused by Erza's actions. Had she really became this arrogant after letting darkness into her soul?! Erza couldn't deal with it anymore. Lisanna was playing games with her!

”I've had enough of you and your stupid little games, Lisanna”, Erza said as she switched to her Black Wing Armor. ”I will end this now! Moon Flash!” she flew at Lisanna with fast speed.

White haired girl just rose her hand into the air and created a wall made of Javelins. Erza didn't care. She flew right past that wall and kicked surprised Lisanna into jaw right after. She fell on her back onto the ground.

”Ouch, that really hurt, you know?” Lisanna said while massaging her jaw. ”But since you finally got serious, Erza, it's time for me to stop playing as well”, she added while she stood up. She then rose her hand into the air and a big black ball appeared over her head. ”Dark Volley”, she said and the ball divided into four smaller ones that flew around Erza. Then Lisanna teleported to each ball and smashed all of them at the redhead who tried her best to dodge all of them, but it was impossible. Most of them did hit her, and it really hurt like hell. But Erza wasn't going to give up – right before the last ball hit, she was able to jump back into the air.

”Running away, are you?” Lisanna mocked her as she landed on the ground again.

”I am not”, Erza told her. ”Requip, Lightning Empress Armor!”

She then used the existing thunderstorm as her advantage and directed all the lightning at Lisanna, who again, did not expect it. She had to dodge it again. Erza then changed her armor once again, this time to Flight Armor and dashed at Lisanna.

”Sonic Claw!” redhead yelled.

”Oh, hell with you!” Lisanna yelled. ”Sonic Blade!” she added and began to attack just as fast back at her with her Javelin. Then they both jumped back away from each other after few minutes and were gasping for air. Both of them had gushes and wounds everywhere and their clothes were also damaged. E

rza also noticed that Lisanna was really angry. Angrier than every before. Actually, she was so angry that her eyes had begun to turn darker and darker. A black aura had started to appear around her body as well.

”You're going to get it now”, Lisanna said, and reached out her hand. ”Dark Divinity!”

At those words countless and countless Dark Javelins appeared into the air and when she swung her hand, all of them flew everywhere in the area. Erza, however, was able to dodge them because of her Flight Armor.

Once all the Javelins were on the ground, Lisanna snapped her fingers, and they turned into ropes that went into the ground. Then they rose back few moments later and were all tied up around Rogue Cheney, who had probably been using his magic to surprise Lisanna.

”There you are, Rogue. My Master has a job for you”, Lisanna said grinning. She then snapped her fingers and horrified looking Rogue disappeared into a swirl of black smoke.

”What are you gonna do with Rogue?!” Erza asked.

”Oh, my Master has a job for him... or should I say, a alternative fate?” Lisanna answered.

She smiled. ”How about we end this battle here and you let me kill you?”

”Your cockiness will be your end, Lisanna”, Erza said as she requipped into her Clear Heart Clothing. ”And I will prove it to you.”

”Well then do so”, Lisanna said and called forth Dark Javelins. ”If you think you can get past these with that outfit of yours.”

”I will”, Erza said and began to ran as the Javelins flew at her. Once they were close enough, Erza jumped into the air and used Lisanna's weapons as platforms as she rushed towards the white haired girl. Lisanna didn't expect for the redhead to survive her attack and thus she was completely open for an attack from Erza. She sliced her once at the side and Lisanna fell on her knees to the ground. Erza knew she won the battle this time when every Dark Javelin in the area disappeared and the Soulless backed off from the barricade.

”Looks like I was defeated this time”, Lisanna said. ”But this victory won't last that long...” She stood up from the ground. Erza could see her eyes were now pure black, and her face was white as a sheet. There was a black line that went up to her hairline and into her right eye. Erza rose her swords again, but Lisanna only smiled.

”It has begun”, she just whispered before she disappeared into a swirl of black smoke.

”'It has begun'?” Erza murmured, as she requipped back to her usual armor.

”What has?” she looked up into the sky as the doubts took over her mind – Horologium Saeculum was about to be casted.

It was evident by the two sparks of light, black and white, rose into the sky and flew into the swirl of clouds.

A bright golden light flashed.

*******

Natsu found it hard to look at the bright light Lucy was engulfed in because it had begun to get even brighter and blinding. But he still wanted to watch because he also saw something else – weird golden clockface symbols in her eyes as she reopened them. It was as if she was awaken from a dream Regina had put her into.

”Lucy! Stop this nonsense! Don't help her!” Natsu tried to tell her but he knew she wouldn't hear. And because the goddamn ropes kept him captive, he couldn't even get free to help her. If he could, he could grab her and fly away for sure. But it seemed that no matter how much he tried to struggle, more tightier ropes became.

” _Don't struggle against it, Natsu Dragneel...”_ spoke a mysterious voice in his mind. It was the same one that had told him not to touch the water in Memoria.

” _Let Horologium Saeculum be casted. There is a way to solve the problem once it's casted so don't interfere”,_ mysterious voice said.

As much as Natsu wanted to stop the spell from being casted, mysterious voice's words gave him hope that things weren't as bad as he thought they were. Lucy would survive the casting of Horologium Saeculum, right? She would stay alive, and they would run away together, right? Natsu was a bit scared to let himself truly feel hopeful but the thought didn't leave him alone.

”I have returned, Master”, said a voice Natsu most definitely did not wish to hear at that point. Lisanna appeared from a swirl of black smoke. She was also emgulfed in light, but hers was black. Her eyes were black, silver clockfaces in them.

Lucy had also reacted to Lisanna's presence, but unlike Natsu, Sting, Happy and Lector had expected, she only went down on her knees on the floor where a huge golden magic circle had appeared. Lisanna followed her example and they put their hands against each other. Magic circle beneath then began to go round and round as the two began to chant the spell while Regina Heartfilia's smile turned from satisfaction into victorious.

” _Hear us, o' mighty clock of time_

_Let us walk through the corridors of time_

_From the present to the past,_

_From the present to the future_

_For I am the one embraced by the light_

_For I am the one who has fallen into darkness_

_Open! The Great Gates of Time_

_Horologium Saeculum!”_

A bright light of black and white flashed and Natsu and others were able to see how two rays of light rose up into the sky from Lisanna and Lucy. Those rays of light disappeared into the clouds and a bright golden light flashed at once. A huge golden magic circle appeared into the sky with a big clockface in the center of it.

And then the low, yet loud strokes of a clock began to echo everywhere in the city.

The strikes were so powerful that they made even Dragon Slayers' heads hurt.

”And now for the other plan”, Regina said as she walked to Lucy, who was now laying on the stone floor half concious. Lisanna was already standing and smiled at the ongoing chaos. Natsu was able to hear more screaming from the city as the magic circle in the sky had begun to suck houses and humans and Soulless into it. He could see how countless of houses rose into the air and were slowly sucked into the hole.

”You, my little tool of darkness, it's time for you to accept your fate and take darkness into your soul”, Regina's voice just said.

”No!” Natsu yelled. ”Luce, fight back!” he added as Regina used her dark magic to cover Lucy up in the black smoke that was supposed to take its place in Lucy's soul. She coughed and tried her best to fight back, but she was already losing the battle. However, then something happened – a gold shield appeared around her and darkness vanished. Regina's shocked reaction changed into anger and disappointment at that very moment as she looked into Lucy's eyes. She, again, had weird symbols in them.

”I see, _she's_ playing her little games again”, Regina said aloud as she touched a weird mark on Lucy's arm. ”Hmm, I guess you won't be any use for me after all. Begone!” she added and swung her hand.

Lucy flew out of The Vestige and began to fall towards the ground. Her screams of horror filled Natsu's ears. No, this couldn't be happening!

”Well, let's see if you can actually save her in time then”, Regina added, snapped her fingers, and Natsu, Sting, Happy and Lector were free.

Natsu didn't waste time.

He wasn't going to let Lucy die and so he dived over the edge of The Vestige.

*******

Lucy was horrified. She had just been thrown out of The Vestige and she was falling fast towards the ground beneath her. Was this how she would meet her fate? Dying right after causing the world to end as everyone knew it?! And why didn't her magic work?! She would have paid every last bit of money she had in order to call Loki or someone to save her at that point. Anyone would do – but there was nothing. She doubted Regina would let Natsu free in time so he could save her. No, Regina would probably just let him watch as she died in front of his eyes. She closed her eyes and waited for the end to come.

”Lucy!” yelled someone from above her.

She opened her eyes to see a teary eyed Happy and fierce looking Natsu coming towards her in Max Speed. They caught her just in time before she would have died.

”Thank you for saving me...” Lucy cried. ”Again.”

”I can't let you die now that I finally found you, Luce. You know that! There's so much stuff I have to tell you!” Natsu said. ”So stop crying, weirdo, we'll be fine!”

”I don't think so”, said Sting's voice as he caught up with them. ”Did you notice the surroundings of this city are all gone?”

”What?” Lucy said and looked around.

Sting was right.

Everything outside Crocus was shrouded in thick golden smoke. And the smoke was taking over the city as well.

”Also, this city is being sucked into that magic circle”, Sting added, serious look on his face as Natsu, Lucy and Happy looked around them.

Merkurius Castle had just rosen into the air and was slowly sucked into the magic circle.

And what's more – Lucy noticed – they were also about to be sucked into it.

There was no other place to escape.

”We can't escape this”, Lucy told them. ”So we'd better hold onto each other so we won't get lost”, she added as she reached her hand out for Sting to take.

”I totally agree”, Sting said as he took Lucy's hand. ”I also need to ask you about Nora.”

”That will have to wait for later”, Lucy said as the golden smoke took over the whole town beneath them.

Natsu and Sting grabbed Happy and Lector and held them tightly to make sure they wouldn't get lost in time. As the golden circle came closer and closer, Lucy was able to see the satisfied smirks on Regina's and Lisanna's faces as The Vestige was sucked inside along with the floating fortress and Crocus.

Now it was just Lucy, Natsu, Sting, Happy and Lector who were still out.

And then the golden smoke began to get sucked into it as well, and that covered the small group. Where they wwere headed, no one would know.

But one thing was sure – if they ever returned, the world they once knew wouldn't be there anymore.

As the golden smoke took over even the tiniest corner of Fiore, every citizen in the kingdom fell asleep, and once they would wake up from it they would wake up in a new world.

A world that Regina Heartfilia had created for them.

_Arc Epilogue  
_ – _The Encounter Of The Forgotten –_

_Crocus  
_ _Year: 491X_

It was a cold evening in Crocus.

Those kind of days were unusual at this time of the year. It was summer after all. But today had been a weird day. Everyone had been able to feel the sudden change. And not in the weather alone, but also in the atmosphere. Something had definitely happened – or more like, something was about to happen.

But Theodore Darcas did not let those kind of things bother him. It wouldn't probably even be about him anyway. Probably all these weird things would happen to someone else. He was sure of it.

And because he wasn't careful enough, he was caught off guard. As he turned around the corner to enter the main street of Crocus' royal city, something happened. A weird black hole appeared in front of him. It took Theodore in surprise and he jumped back from it. Hole just stood there, as if it was waiting for him to enter. Of course, that would be nonsense.

But then, something unbelievable happened – two women stepped out from the hole. Other one was white haired, orange eyed and was carrying a dangerous looking Javelin and the other was dressed up in a black dress and a hooded cloack. Hood covered up her face. White haired woman smiled at Theodore with a smile that could only be described as menacing. Theodore began to wonder if he was wrong about thinking how weird things would never happen to him. After all, he was married to the queen of Fiore's arch enemy.

”My, my, aren't you going to say hello to your beloved wife?” asked the white haired woman.

”What? My wife is at the royal palace of Zephyrus”, Theodore said and cursed that he had no weapons with him nor did he possess magic powers. This white haired woman was really dangerous looking.

”Master, this man does not recognize you”, she told to the other woman.

”Well then, it's time to reveal the truth then”, the other woman answered.

_No way... It can't be!_ Theodore thought as the woman who had hid her face snapped her fingers and the cloak disappeared. It revealed a woman with cold blue eyes and black hair. Theodore looked at her in horror. It was Regina Heartfilia!

”Regina...? Has darkness finally taken you?” he asked, remembering many of their earlier discussions of her issues with dark powers.

”You have no right to ask such things anymore, Theo”, Regina said. ”You were the one who caused this. Now, you will have to pay the price.”

”Step into the doorway to the darkness”, white haired woman said.

”Regina, this isn't you”, Theodore said. ”You're not coldhearted and evil.”

”That's what you say now, but once you hear the king's lies tonight, you will change your mind”, Regina said as she moved her hand and Theodore rose from the ground and was thrown into the dark hole. ”And now, I will have to go check out how the younger, kinder me is doing in Zephyrus...”

”No, don't harm her!” Theodore tried but the doorway closed.

Last thing he saw was Regina's menacing smile and knew that this Regina was certainly from somewhere else. It wasn't the woman he loved.

Theodore tried hopelessly open the doorway again in the pitch black corridor but it didn't help. He couldn't open it. Instead, he looked around and saw that the corridor was endless. Only noises he heard was the chanting of a choir singing something about destiny. Theodore had no idea where to go. Should he just stay here, or choose left or right and just walk until he found a way out?

” _Follow the Warrior”,_ whispered a woman's voice in the air.

Theodore looked around him and saw a blonde standing in the corridor few meters away. She was wearing a red jacket, black skirt and a cloak. She was also carrying a sword. Once she noticed that Theodore was looking at her, she turned around and raised her hand – another weird hole appeared, although this time the hole was shining in bright light. Theodore walked closer to it. Mysterious blonde in red jacket stepped into the hole and disappeared. However, Theodore himself wasn't sure that he should step into the hole. He had no idea where it would lead!

But the warm yet bright light was calling to him. It was right where he was meant to go. So he took the step forward and found himself stepping into the doorway. No matter where it would take him to. He would find a way to go back home eventually...

...Right?


	15. TimeTravellers (Prologue)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the last chapter for today. I will post the next three chapters on next Monday where you will get to see what the new timeline will be like. I remember being very excited about this arc because so much of my fav parts of this story will happen in it so it was a pure heaven to work on. :)
> 
> Happy reading!
> 
> PS. Sae and Caelum are both words in latin and they means "time" and "sky" in English. :)

_The Maze of Time  
_ _Year: ?_

The next time Lucy Heartfilia opened her eyes, she looked around and noticed that she couldn't see anything else but mist everywhere. Somewhere in the mist, however, she was able to hear slow echoes of clock strokes. But they got slower and slower, and eventually faded away. Silence took its place.

_What is this place?_ Lucy thought as she stood up. She looked around again, but saw nothing.She remembered how she had gotten sucked into the huge hole in the sky in Crocus. She remembered how there had been a blinding, bright light that had flashed and then she had lost her conciousness completely. And now she was here, in this weird place, alone.

” _Be careful, Lucy Heartfilia...”_ whispered a mysterious voice from the mist.

Followed by that there was a loud crash that came behind Lucy. She screamed in horror and turned around. She saw how a weird corridor looking structure had fallen down on the ground only a few steps behind her. Then the structure turned into a shining sand and disappeared into the mist. Lucy looked up where the structure had fallen down and saw a hole there. Lucy decided to walk away from it as she saw how more structures were starting to fall down.

The problem was, she had no idea where to go. She had no sense of direction in this weird place, so she couldn't tell where North was. Also, because she had no dragon slayer powers in her disposal, she was unable to tell where Natsu, Sting, Happy and Lector would be. What if they weren't even here? What if they had found their way out somewhere, and Lucy was the only one in this weird place? That thought really scared her.

” _You are not alone, Lucy...”_ mysterious voice said again.

Lucy stopped her aimless strolling to look around. Where was the source of this voice? It was such a kind, warm voice. It was so calming that Lucy didn't feel panic at all anymore. This mysterious voice was definitely a friend, right? It couldn't be a villain like Regina or Lisanna, right?

” _Walk straight forward and you will find your friends, Lucy...”_ mysterious voice said and then disappeared.

Only the echo of her words could still be heard.

*********

After going through the blindingly bright light, Natsu – just like Lucy – had lost his conciousness. Then he had woken up in this weird mist covered place with Happy by his side. Natsu noticed that his companion was unconcious once he picked the blue Exceed up. Then Natsu himself got to his feet and tried to sniff the air. He was unable to smell anything.

There was no sight of Lucy, Sting or Lector anywhere. Where could they be? And how would he be able to find them if he couldn't smell their scents?! It was hopeless. He was able to hear faint strokes of a clock somewhere but the noise was interrupted with echoes so it was basically impossible to locate them. Then they suddenly went quiet and silence took over this weird place.

” _Be careful, Lucy Heartfilia...”_ echoed through the place suddenly.

Natsu jumped into the air. Was Lucy in trouble? And where was she? Natsu began to run straight forward because the source of the echoes came from somewhere over there.

And more than that, he recognized that voice. On the coast of Memoria, this very same voice has told Natsu not to touch the water. He was now sure that this voice wasn't Lucy's.

It was somebody else's.

*********

” _Be careful, Lucy Heartfilia...”_

Sting was already running towards the source of the echoes. He had no idea why he had been able to know where it came from because he really had no sense of direction or sense of smell in this weird mist covered place. Sting had woken up – unlike Natsu and Lucy – in a area there was a old broken windmill. Sting had no idea why it was there or where it had come from. It was also the only building that was in this place. Sting was sure of it because no matter where he looked at, he could only see mist covering this mysterious place.

And then he had heard the echo of a woman's voice. It had been a warm, kind voice. It was not a voice of evil at all. And that's why Sting had decided to follow it. If Lucy was in danger, he would help her. He was also sure that Natsu had already heard it as well, and was probably running towards it. They both had their own reasons to stick with Lucy. Natsu wanted to keep her safe from harm. And Sting wanted to know what had happened to Nora. He had a hunch that she did not return to Lucy at all. He was sure that Nora was still out there. Problem was, he had no idea where. But Lucy might know. She had been the one who created her after all.

_I'm going to find you, Nora, I promise,_ Sting thought as he ran while holding unconscious Lector under his arm.

*********

After walking straight forward for who knows how long, Lucy was finally able to see something taking a form in the mist. She had no idea what it was, but she had a hunch that the voice from earlier wanted her to go there. And that's why she kept walking. Maybe she would even find Natsu and others as well. She was pretty sure they had heard the echoes as well.

Eventually Lucy noticed that the ground had changed, and even her sense of smell had returned. She was able to smell an ocean. She could even hear it. And also, she noticed that she was standing on a wooden bridge. As she looked around her, she noticed the mist revealed a small stone building on the other end of the bridge. It was partially in ruins – the roof had partially collapsed and even few pillars that had once been standing were now laying in pieces on the ground. Lucy's hunches told her to go there and that's what she did.

”Lucy!” came suddenly from behind her, followed by fast steps.

Lucy turned around to see Sting coming to her. He was carrying unconscious Lector under his arm.

”Natsu's not with you?” Lucy asked, looking behind his shoulder but there was no one there.

”I have no idea where he is”, Sting confirmed. ”But I saw you walking towards this bridge so I followed you.”

Lucy sighed. ”I hope he and Happy are alright... Are you OK?”

”I'm good. Don't worry. We should probably keep going. Something tells me that we should.”

”You too? I'm getting these weird hunches all the time, too”, Lucy said. ”Did you also hear a mysterious voice?” she asked him.

”I did. It said 'be careful, Lucy Heartfilia'”, Sting said. ”I'm pretty sure Natsu-san heard it, too.”

Lucy nodded. ”We have to ask him when he arrives. Until then, we should just keep walking.”

Sting nodded as an answer and the two of them began walking side by side in the quiet, mysterious place.

As they reached the stone building's ruins, Lucy couldn't help but feel like she knew this place. As she looked around, she could see it. A temple of the Goddess of Time. And herself walking through the entrance hall to the grand hall where she, her parents, and countless of other people were praying for the Goddess for salvation from the upcoming chaos. But why did Lucy know these things? She definitely had no memory of this temple, or the visits in such a place.

”Lucy?” Sting said and put his hand on Lucy's shoulder.

All the weird images disappeared at once and Lucy looked around. She was standing in the middle of the grand hall. It was now abandoned, and partially in ruins – the roof had collapsed, windows were broken and seats were all flown everywhere in the hall. Only thing that was still in place was the statue of a woman, who was holding a huge clock face in her reached out hands at the other end of the room.

”Lucy?” Sting repeated and even snapped his fingers in front of Lucy's face to get her attention.

”I've been in this place”, Lucy said, completely lost in her thoughts.

Why did she see those weird visions?

What was their purpose?

Were they some sort of forgotten memories that suddenly began to resurface?

But she had thought she had remembered everything in Memoria! Was it really possible that there was more forgotten memories that had been removed for some reason?

”Lucy, stop freaking me out, please”, Sting said and shook her shoulder a little bit. ”Get yourself back together. Natsu-san will kill me if he sees you in this state.”

When Sting mentioned Natsu, Lucy was brought back to reality completely and all the weird feelings of being in a familiar place disappeared. But the confusion still stayed.

Why did she see those things?

Were they parts of the past?

Or from another, alternative timeline?

”I don't know what happened, Sting”, Lucy said. ”But the moment I stepped into this place something just took over me and I walked here.”

”Yeah, I noticed. You were also glowing in gold light, and I swear I saw small clockface symbols in your eyes, too”, Sting said. ”Do you think it's possible that these weird experiences are side effects of Horologium Saeculum?”

”I don't know”, Lucy answered. ”But since Regina has broken the time itself, I'm not surprised if those were glimpses from a alternate timeline...”

”Glimpses of what? I saw nothing. Just you walking to this room and I followed.”

”I saw myself walking into this room with my parents, and then we prayed for salvation from the Goddess of Time in a upcoming chaos.”

Sting looked thoughtful for a minute.

”Me and Nora learned on our journey to find the missing pieces of your soul that the ancient race of time mages used to pray for that goddess in their temples. They were a race that could see the future and travel through time. Maybe they saw the apocalypse we faced and prayed that the goddess would protect them?”

”That wouldn't make any sense, Sting”, Lucy said. ”Me and my parents... We were also there.”

”Yeah, I forgot that”, Sting grinned. ”But hey, maybe it was just a glimpse from another timeline then. Because for some reason I really doubt you're a part of a ancient race. I read that they all died in a war 800 years ago.”

”Exactly”, Lucy said. ”It just doesn't make any sense –”

”What doesn't make any sense?” said a new male voice from the broken doorway.

It was Natsu. He was carrying unconcious Happy under his arm as he grinned at Lucy.

”Lucy's experiencing weird visions and sees glimpses of a alternate timeline”, Sting told him. ”Do you know any way we could get out of here, Natsu-san?”

”No, I was too concentrated on following Luce's voice. I did go astray a couple of times tho...”

Lucy smiled. ”It's OK, Natsu. Everything echoes in this place so it's not a surprise.”

”Are you mocking me, woman?!”

”No, I wasn't!”

”Hey, lovebirds, we gotta figure out how to get outta here!” Sting interrupted.

Lucy blushed at the word 'lovebirds' and she tried to glare at Sting who just grinned.

”What, you two are so in love that even people who doesn't care about it sees it”, he said.

”We got something more important stuff to worry about than me and Natsu getting together”, Lucy told him – although the idea of being in a romantic relationship with Natsu didn't sound like bad idea at all.

”Do you know any way to wake Happy up? He's been unconcious ever since we came here”, Natsu hastily said, changing the subject.

Lucy furrowed her eyebrows at him but said nothing.

_Oh, it's this weird Natsu again. Gosh, I can't stand this guy. He will not spill the beans until I tell him to, and even then he doesn't say the truth aloud,_ Lucy thought – as Sting answered to Natsu's question – remembering all those weird moments before Natsu had forgotten her existence. He had often tried to say something to her, but had always backed off at the last minute. Lucy couldn't figure out why.

”You're gonna play that game with me again, Natsu?” Lucy asked him.

”What game?”

”That weird 'I wanna tell you something, Luce, but I can't' game. You do know that you can tell me anything. We're friends. Be honest with me.”

”I'll go look around a bit while you two have your serious talk”, Sting hastily said and walked away.

”I can't tell you because I don't know how to say it without sounding like an idiot, Luce”, Natsu answered. ”Or without pissing you off. I'm very talented at sounding stupid, as you very well may know.”

”Well, that is very true”, Lucy agreed. ”But whatever it is, I want to know all about it.”

”I'll tell you once I've found the right words then. I promise”, Natsu said and grinned.

”I will remember that promise then”, Lucy said, smiling.

”Hey guys, if you've done talking, I found a door here!” Sting called from behind the ceiling rubble.

”Let's go, Natsu, we still gotta figure out how to get out of this place”, Lucy said. ”And we need to find out a way to wake Happy up.”

”Yeah, let's do that”, Natsu agreed. ”And you're not going anywhere without me again, okay?”

”Wouldn't dream of it”, Lucy promised, and the two of them walked over to where Sting was waiting for them.

”Over there”, blonde guy said, pointing at the open door.

Lucy and Natsu went to check it out. Behind the door there was a dimly lit corridor.

Lucy nodded at the boys, and they went through the door.

” _Walk through the corridor, and open the door”,_ mysterious voice told them.

As it spoke, the other end of the corridor was lit up and there was a huge closed wooden door. Then the voice disappeared once again. Lucy, Natsu and Sting began to walk through the corridor. Only sound that was heard was the clicking sound of their shoes against the stone floor.

After walking down the long corridor in the forgotten stone building, Lucy couldn't ignore the pictures on the walls. They were all very ancient, yet so very interesting.

”I know this story”, Sting said, looking at the pictures. ”It's the Legend of the Goddess, isn't it?”

Lucy nodded. ”It was a story about a woman who wished to be able to use magic so she could help her people and Goddess of Time appeared before her one day. She asked why the woman was sad, and woman said, 'I'm unable to help my people', and the Goddess gave her a gift to See by marking her. This woman became the first Seeress of the Time Mages.”

”I heard that story once, too”, Natsu said. ”I think Igneel told me about it...”

”We keep stumbling upon these references to the race of Time Mages a bit too often”, Lucy said. ”It has to be a clue to how to find and destroy Regina.”

”I was thinking the same thing actually”, Sting said. ”When I was on my journey with Nora, we ran into references way too often as well.”

”I thought some people said that Goddess isn't even real”, Natsu said.

”It's a very ancient race and there's no one who has inherited any of the abilities Time Mages used to possess back in their prime so they're assumed to have extincted.”

”We will ask that woman who's guiding us”, Lucy said. ”She most definitely has all the answers we need. There's the door. Let's go through it.”

Once Lucy touched the wooden door, it opened to a room with glass walls. In the middle of the room there was a pedestal where laid a golden orb. There was nothing else in the room. Lucy, Natsu and Sting entered the room and looked around. Outside the room they could see endless darkness. And long, endless corridors to all directions. Lucy also noticed that there was a lot of shining pieces of something falling from the 'sky'.

” _Take the orb, Seeress. It'll lead you to safety”,_ mysterious voice said.

Lucy nodded and walked to the pedestal. She picked up the orb and it turned into a ball of bright golden light. A bright golden searchlight appeared and scanned Lucy's body. Once it was finished, the light disappeared and the orb rose into the air and flew to the other door. Lucy, Natsu and Sting took the hint and silently followed it. Golden doors opened once Lucy got close enough, revealing a corridor that was divided into left and right in front of her. Golden orb flew to the left corridor.

Lucy and others followed it.

On their way through the corridor, they saw many, many doorways that were all closed. They were also see the falling pieces of other corridors fall from the higher parts of this mysterious corridor labyrinth, and how they disappeared into the sea of mist below them. It was the very same place where Lucy, Natsu and Sting had found themselves only a few moments ago. Lucy couldn't help but get the creeps when she thought of that one piece that had almost crushed her to the ground. It had been so close!

*********

Eventually the trio found themselves in a dead end. There was no way out of it, or no other corridors to turn to because they had been fallen down into the sea of mist. Golden orb flew in circles for a while and then stopped moving. It began to get bigger and bigger until it had turned into a shining doorway.

” _Step into the doorway, Seeress”,_ mysterious voice advised the trio.

Lucy, Natsu and Sting – who were already worried that they might fall back down to the sea of mist – did not hesitate at all. They stepped into the bright doorway. They kept walking through the white corridor as their doorway closed behind them. White corridor wasn't that long. They were able to see how the other end was already opening, and once they reached it, there was a new doorway for them to walk through. They did so. It would have been better than go back to a place that was collapsing around them.

What they saw on the other side of the white doorway, was a beach of grey sand. Clouds were covering the sky, so the place was very dark looking. There was also a huge city further away. This city was just as colorless as the beach, and also so very sad. Lucy was able to see a huge golden clock face standing in the center of the city. But the clock hands didn't seem to be moving anywhere. Was this place frozen in time? Also, she felt like she had been here before.

Then it hit her – this was the beach where that mysterious woman had found Nora in Lucy's weird vision in The Vestige! She stopped following the boys and looked around. There was no traces of Nora, but Lucy knew that she had been here. She was sure of it. That vision did not lie. Also, Eofra had told her that Nora had been taken somewhere else because she had become so much stronger spiritually that rejoinment had become impossible.

”Luce, what are you standing there for?” Natsu asked. ”Come on, the sea isn't pretty enough to look at!”

”I'm sorry, it's just that... I saw a glimpse of this place when Nora was about to rejoin my soul”, Lucy said, noticing how interested Sting's expression became.

”I... I think Nora might be here. She met a woman on this beach and they left together somewhere.”

”I knew it!” Sting said. ”I knew it all along!”

”What's up with you?” Lucy asked, feeling confused.

”The reason why I came up to The Vestige was because Nora told me to. Ever since then I've been 100% sure that Nora is alive somewhere. I'm gonna find her so I'm gonna start with this city”, Sting said and started walking towards the city again.

”We shouldn't let him go alone. Especially not in that state of mind”, Lucy told Natsu as she caught up with him. ”Who knows what he'll do if Nora isn't here?”

”You do have a point”, Natsu said. ”Wanna carry Happy for a while?”

”Sure”, Lucy said and took Happy into her arms.

Blue Exceed didn't even react. To Lucy it was very sad thought because she had missed him just as much as she had missed everyone else at Fairy Tail.

”They would have put up a huge party for you, you know?” Natsu said as if he knew exactly what Lucy was thinking.

”I would have loved that”, Lucy said, and smiled. ”I really miss everyone at the guild. I hope they're alright even on the new timeline. Whatever that might be.”

”They'll survive”, Natsu said.

Then they followed Sting, who was already running few meters away from them. Lucy really hoped that he wouldn't be disappointed in the end. What if Nora wasn't in this place after all? It would be devastating for him. After all, Lucy remembered that they hadn't said goodbyes to each other last time they were together.

_Oh, I just remembered Nora told me to tell Sting something..._ she thought as she and Natsu followed the blonde Sabertooth master.

When Lucy and Natsu finally caught up with Sting, he was sitting on a fallen tree, panting from all the running. Unconcious Lector was laying on the ground at his feet.

”Sting, I want to tell you something”, Lucy said. ”It's about Nora.”

”What is it?”

”When she came to me, she was crying and told me to tell you that she loves you and that she's sorry that she didn't say goodbyes to you”, Lucy said and saw how Sting's expression changed from curiousity into sadness.

Sting was quiet for a minute. Then he sniffed and said, ”So she finally admitted that she _does_ love me then...”

He picked Lector up from the ground and stood up. ”Now I have even more reasons to try to find her so let's move.”

”Are you sure you're OK, Sting?” Lucy asked.

”I'm fine, Lucy! Let's just go. I'm starting feel hungry and whatnot...”

”He's faking it”, Natsu said as Sting walked away.

”How can you tell?” Lucy asked.

”He's holding his emotions inside. That's why he was nervous just now”, Natsu answered. ”But yeah, I'm hungry too. Let's go check out if we could find something to eat...”

When they finally arrived at the gates of the quiet city, they noticed that the gates were closed. How could they get inside if these gates didn't open? There was no switches that could help them, nor there were no guards that they could have asked help from.

Was there a some sort of a puzzle that would decide if they were qualified enough to enter?

Or was there a password nobody had told them?

Lucy felt more than just confused over this. She had started to feel hungry and very tired. If she only could find a bed to sleep in, she would be happy.

”How in hell are we gonna get in?” Natsu said. ”Oi, people in the city, let us in!”

”Do you honestly think they'll listen to you?” Sting asked. ”We're foreigners to them. They might not even understand our language.”

But, right at that moment, there was a loud crash from behind the gates, followed by noises of some kind of machinery that pulled the gates open.

” _Welcome to Caelum, Seeress and her companions”,_ mysterious voice said.

Lucy, Natsu and Sting went into the city. The gates closed behind them. Caelum looked like a very ancient city – just like Zephyrus had been on Earthland, too. Lucy knew this because she had spent so much time in that city. Even though it had been in ruins for years, Lucy still felt like she had returned to that place – which also made all the horrible, painful memories resurface. And she definitely did not want to remember those days of improsonment again.

As the trio walked on the main street, Lucy could not pretend that she didn't notice how people of Caelum were giving her different type of attention compared to Natsu and Sting. They really didn't care about them, but Lucy noticed that when she passed the crowd, people began to whisper and and point at her. Was she looking stupid or something?

”Why are people looking at me like this?” Lucy whispered when they got past the crowd and found themselves standing in front of a huge palace. The Clock that's clock hands didn't move anywhere was hovering silently on top of the palace.

”They said, 'there she is, the new Seeress!' and 'I can't believe I got to see the day when she finally arrives!'” Natsu said.

”I don't understand what's going on”, Lucy said. ”But aren't they like saints or something? I'm not even close to a saint!”

”Well, I don't know about you but this is kinda scary”, Sting said, looking at the statue in the middle of the fountain nearby. It was a woman who was wearing a long dress. She was holding a orb in her left hand, and a clock face in the right hand. But that did not surprise Lucy at all. What really surprised her was her looks – statue looked exactly like Lucy!

”They have always known that I'll come here one day?” Lucy whispered and shivered.

”This plate here says 'Seeress Serena' though”, Natsu read the plate at the statue's feet.

The moment he read her name, there was a flash of bright light. It was so bright that they had to close their eyes.

When they reopened them, they were standing in a hall, that was big enough to be a ballroom. It was a very simple room. It was lit up by small floating crystals. The door to outside was located on the other end of the room while a throne made of crystals was located on the other end. On the throne there was a kind looking woman, who was wearing a long white dress. Her long hair was as white as the snow, and her eyes had a golden color in them. She had a white headress on her head that had a short transparent scarf attached to it. She smiled kindly.

”My name is Sae”, woman said. ”I'm the Goddess of Time.”

”You were the one guiding us earlier, weren't you?”, Sting asked.

”That is correct”, Sae answered. ”I had to guide you out of the Maze of Time.”

”What was that weird temple looking building we were guided to?” Lucy asked. ”I saw so many weird, disturbing things there...”

”That building was a Temple of Time from the alternate timeline. Horologium Saeculum did not only affect your timeline. It also affected another one. Damage wasn't as devastating as it was on your timeline but it was powerful enough to take their temple away.”

”What were those visions I saw?”

”They were a part of your childhood on that timeline”, Sae said. ”On that timeline you are a reincarnation of Seeress Serena, Lucy.”

”So it was another timeline just like you said, Lucy”, Sting said.

”I don't understand any of this”, Natsu told them. ”But I'd like Happy to wake up. Is there any way to do so or will he be asleep for the rest of his life?”

Sae snapped her fingers, and both Happy and Lector woke up at once.

”WE WERE FLYING THROUGH A HOLE IN THE SKY!” Happy yelled in panic. Then he froze in his place in Lucy's arms as he realized that everyone was looking at him.

”You're doing good job at making yourself look stupid, Happy”, Lector told him. He was very relaxed and cool in Sting's arms.

”What's going to happen now?” Lucy asked from Sae. ”I mean, what happened to our timeline?”

Sae sighed, and looked very sad.

”I'm afraid the timeline you are from is wiped out completely. It's been rewritten by a timeline that Regina Heartfilia has created. She went back in time to make crucial changes that caused a change in the present. Everyone has a new role and life on this timeline.”

”So Regina was able to bring her empire back from the dead”, Sting assumed. ”What did she change in the past?”

”I can't say for sure. That part of the timeline is distorted and broken. I'm unable to see what she has broken. That's why I have guided you here”, Sae said, her expression turning into a very serious one. ”I want you three to enter the corridors of time and fix what Regina has broken. That way I will be able to locate where the center of this destruction is and then I can fix everything myself.”

”Corridors of time?” Natsu asked. ”You mean the place that was collapsing and falling down while we were chasing that little ball of light?”

”Exactly”, Sae confirmed. ”Not all corridors have collapsed. Only the ones that were connected to 794X which Regina has successfully destroyed. All the corridors connected to the new 794X are still intact, and you will be travelling in those corridors.”

”But isn't time travel dangerous and forbidden?” Lucy asked.

”Which is exactly why I have marked you as the new Seeress, Lucy.”

”So you mean the weird symbol on my left arm was...?”

Sae nodded. ”Seeresses and Seers are able to walk in the corridors of time. They are my eyes and ears on this timeline. I will be able to follow the events through them. I need you to help me to open the path to where Regina Heartfilia is. She must be defeated at all costs. Will you accept my request?”

This was exactly the kind of power she had wanted to fix what had happened. She had felt so much guilt after Regina had gotten free that she would do anything in her power to make her disappear. This was her chance. With the power of a Seeress she would be able to change things back to the way they were.

She looked at Sae.

”I will accept your request, Sae. I will do everything I can to find a way to defeat Regina Heartfilia.”

Sae smiled. ”Marvelous.”

She then snapped her fingers and there was a swirl of golden smoke. From the smoke appeared a handsome looking man in his 30s. He had brown eyes and hair. He was wearing a white shirt and black trousers and black boots. He was a very quiet and looked very, very sad.

”This man is Theodore Darcas”, Sae introduced him.

He only rose his hand as a greeting.

”The husband of Regina Heartfilia. I want you to take him with you as he will be useful against Regina”, Sae explained.

_Is it just me or did her eyes just flash with hatred when she mentioned Regina's name?_ Lucy wondered as she looked at the goddess. Why would she hate Regina this much?

”But if that timeline is distorted and broken, how can we possibly find our way there?” Lucy asked aloud, ignoring her curiosity regarding this goddess – a decision she would regret dearly much, much later – and concentrated on the discussion at hand.

”You will have to find artefacts from that time period from other timelines to open the gate that's been locked. Once you find an artefact, your power will lead you to the right direction”, Sae explained.

Then she snapped her fingers once again and weird looking structure appeared before everyone's eyes. There was a huge crystal in the middle of it.

”This is a time gate. Lucy's power is strong enough to open and locate most of these. For some you will need to find a artefact to locate them, but they will be easy to find. Lucy's power can attract them to her.”

Time gate began to shine and the group could hear how some sort of a lock or something unlocked somewhere deep inside the crystal.

”The gate is ready. Now all you must do is to go close to it and you'll be transported into the year where you came from”, Sae said. ”And remember, doing this will also help the Clock of Time to restart. It's been frozen ever since Horologium Saeculum was activated. Now, go, and do your best. I believe in you.”

Lucy looked at her, then at her companions and finally, at the gate.

”Let's do this, everyone. We have to”, she said.

Others nodded and then, one by one, they stepped close to the opened gate and they all disappeared into the flow of time.

”The fate of the world is in your hands now, Lucy. You and your companions are my only hope”, Sae said as the gate closed.


	16. Adventurous Spirits And Rusty Colors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I'm back with another set of 3 chapters for you to read. :) In this one Lucy, Sting and Natsu along with the Exceeds returns to their own timeline to see how it has changed after Regina casted her time continuum breaking spell. :)

_ARC 3: A Traitorous Vixen_

_Ruins of a unknown town,  
_ _Year: 794X_

In the wilderness was located a small town that was in ruins, caused by the fire – town had never been rebuilt. There had been no life in this town for a while now, so the sad, burnt ruins just stood there waiting for time and the nature to turn them into a mysterious place of the past.

But on that very specific day after three long years, something finally happened. A flash of light shone in the corner of a hall that had once been the main hall of a church. A weird big structure appeared and the crystal ball in the middle of the stone 'tentacles' opened. A group of five – a woman, three men and two cats – appeared. They looked around in the hall, all of them feeling very surprised. They definitely had not been expecting to come to a destroyed church. The roof had fallen to the stone floor, and everything that was flammable inside, was in ashes. It was definitely not a beautiful sight. Lucy had to cover up her nose because the smell of the place was horrible. It smelt of death.

”Could you please contact the goddess and ask her why we appeared here?” Natsu – who was also covering his nose with his muffler – asked Lucy.

Lucy only shook her head and said, ”I can't, Natsu. This place was where the only available location of a time gate.”

”How do you know that?” Sting asked curiously. ”She didn't tell us anything about this.”

”I don't know why I know these things. I just do”, Lucy said.

She then turned to Happy and Lector. ”Could you two go check out in what direction Magnolia is located?”

”Aye sir!” Happy said, looking really happy that he would get out of the horrible smell of the ruined church. Lector only nodded as an answer and they rose on their wings and flew out of the church ruins.

”What should we do while we wait for them?” Natsu asked.

”Well, first of all, we should move out from this place. This smell is giving me a headache”, Lucy said. ”I'm sure Happy and Lector will find us if we can put up a bonfire somewhere...”

”You think it's possible to find something flammable here when everything has probably just as burnt down as this church?” Sting asked.

His eyes searched the hall and then he noticed something on the other side of the room. He walked there and took something off the wall. ”By the way, this thing here says it's October 23, 791X.”

”We went three years back in time?” Lucy asked. ”But she said –”

”I bet this is just a lie”, Sting interrupted. ”Judging by the looks of this church – and the village outside – this place was burnt down three years ago.”

”I wonder why...” Lucy murmured.

”Well, we can only find out about it when we go to... whatever we're going to.”

”Magnolia.”

”What?”

”We will go to Magnolia.”

”Are you sure?”

”I'm a hundred percent sure that Magnolia is where we have to go”, Lucy said sternly.

”Be careful, Sting, or you might get Lucy Kicked!” Natsu said, looking very amused.

Lucy just shook her head at him and began to walk towards the hole in the wall that was located right next to the time gate. She knew that Theodore, Sting and Natsu followed her outside.

Outside the hole in the wall of the church Lucy found herself standing on a stone path that had begun to get covered by grass and moss. The path was directed to the cemetery on the left side of the path and the right side went towards the village's centre. Lucy headed to the right path as it felt like the right direction to her. Was this a power of a Seeress or something? Her instincts told her where to go in this village, but when it came to locating Magnolia, she didn't know which direction to take.

_Maybe Magnolia is hidden in some sort of a spacetime distortion?_ She thought as she turned around the corner of the church and arrived to the center of the town. She noticed that the rest of the houses were just as burnt as the church had been. Main street was full of dirt, pieces of burnt wood and she could also see some skeletons here and there – they just laid there forgotten. What had happened here?

”This place looks more and more scary by the minute”, Natsu said as he looked around, too.

”It's her who did this”, said Theodore for the first time. His voice sounded very sad. ”Burning down towns and villages was Regina's signature move. And those skeletons... they were people who got their souls ripped out by the Soulless Army.”

_That means Reana and Fiore are in constant conflict. This new timeline is very dangerous,_ she thought. ”We have to be careful from now on”, she said aloud.

”Why's that?” Natsu asked.

”This is the timeline that replaced the old 794X, Natsu. We are in the present that is completely different from the one we came from”, Lucy explained. ”On this timeline Reana still exists and Regina is the empress.”

”Then if Theo here is her husband, then he's the emperor of Reana”, Sting said. He looked at Theodore. ”Why are you here and not with her then?”

”Apparently I did something in the past that she did not approve and threw me into this dark hole that lead to the corridors of time. Then she went to meet up with her past self and I have no idea what she did to _my_ Regina, and my daughter...” Theodore answered and sighed. ”I would do anything to be able to find them.”

”Lucy!” interrupted Happy's voice from the skies.

He and Lector flew back and landed on the ground. ”Magnolia isn't that far away from this town. It's only about 10 kilometers to the west from here.”

”Good job, Happy, Lector”, Lucy said. ”Now we can solve the problem on this timeline. However, we must pretend to be from this time so that these people won't become suspicious. Mostly because we really have no idea on which kingdom we are currently in.”

”Good thinking”, Sting said. ”Should we go now?”

”West exit is that way”, Happy said, pointing at the street that was in exact same condition as the main street and the center – meaning there were rubble, skeletons and burnt things everywhere.

After getting out of the burnt town, Lucy and others began their long walk through the wilderness towards the city of Magnolia. Happy and Lector served as their 'eyes in the sky' as they were able to fly. And others were also ready for anything that might have happened. There were few skeletons in the wilderness as well as abandoned army posts. At one point they even saw a abandoned Fiorean flag standing alone next to a destroyed tower. Lucy couldn't even imagine what kind of a war had raged in the area if there was so much ruins and skeletons and whatnot.

”I wonder what our roles are on this new timeline”, Sting wondered aloud after they had walked for two hours and had decided to take a break. They had found a old, abandoned wooden cottage that wasn't in ruins yet. They went in and noticed that whoever had owned this cottage had left in a hurry.

”What if we don't even really exist here since we got sucked into Horologium Saeculum?” Happy asked.

”Well, it's our advantage then”, Lucy said. ”We could come up with a story of some sort as a cover up.”

”In that case we could be adventurers from another country”, Lector suggested. ”And because you and Theo share similarities in looks, you can be father and a daughter and we others are your workers or something.”

”Be quiet and hide!” Theodore suddenly said. ”There's a group of soldiers outside!”

He then proceeded to shove Lucy into the nearby closet while others hid where they could. Natsu and Happy eventually slid into the same closet with Lucy, and then they stayed quiet as the door of the cottage opened. Theodore took care of the discussions while Lucy and the others tried to stay as quiet as possible in their hiding places.

”What brings you to my humble home?” Theodore just asked.

”We are looking for our empress' daughter who has ran away from Zephyrus few days ago. Have you seen anything?” one of the soldiers asked.

”No, I'm afraid that I haven't. I just came home, you see.”

”Looks like someone looted this place while you were gone”, another soldier pointed out.

”Yes, unfortunately that sometimes happens. Those people at Magnolia likes to loot this place often.”

_What the heck is Theodore talking about? He makes up stories like a master liar!_ Lucy thought and glanced at Natsu and Happy, who looked just as confused as Lucy did.

”Magnolia is a place made for rats. You should stay away from that place. That rebellion group Fairy Tail is always causing trouble there. Our empress would have given citizens more freedom if they handed them over to her but the citizens are too loyal to them and to Fiore”, first soldier said. ”Anyway, we must go now. We still have many places to go today. If you ever see any sights of the princess or her bodyguard kidnapper, please inform the nearest Imperial Army Division.”

Lucy heard rustle of paper and then the door closed. Theodore was quiet for a moment and then walked to the closet where Lucy was. He held up the paper.

”I think we might need a disguise for you and Sting, Lucy.”

Lucy looked at the paper with horrified expression on her face. There they were – Lucy and Sting together in the same picture. And under the picture there was a announcement:

_WANTED!_

_Princess Lucy Heartfilia has been kidnapped by her bodyguard captain Sting Eucliffe. If you were to see any sights of them, inform the nearest Imperial Army Division immediately and you will be rewarded._

_Important notice to all bounty hunters:_

_Captain Eucliffe's life is of no importance. You can do anything you want with him and his life. Princess Lucy must be returned to the imperial palace in the capital city Zephyrus alive and well._

_Happy hunting everyone,_

_Your empress Regina_

”I did not expect something like this”, Lucy said and sighed. Why did Regina always ruin everything in her life?

”Luce is a princess on this new timeline?” Natsu said as he read the paper through.

”Let's give her to the soldiers and take the money!” Happy yelled.

”Happy!” Lucy yelled in disbelief. ”How could you say that? We were already apart for three years!”

”No worries”, Sting said. He was holding two capes in his hands. ”We'll wear these and stay quiet while Theo here does the talking in Magnolia. This is really the only plan I can come up with right now...”

”It has to work”, Lucy said and took the other cape. She put it on and was glad that there was a hood on it. Sting put his cape on, and the group then exited the cottage. Then they continued their walk on the dirt road towards Magnolia.

What really surprised Lucy though was the lack of other people on the road. Usually when Lucy had been on a mission with Team Natsu and they had had decided to walk back home, this road was always full of people but there was nobody. Only few Reanian soldiers passed them from time to time but normal people were nowhere to be seen.

_This new 794X is so messed up_ , Lucy thought.

After walking for a couple of more hours, Lucy and others rose on a hill and they were finally able to see Magnolia. However, as they had been expecting, the town did not even reminisice the place where Lucy, Natsu and Happy lived. There was a high stone wall built around it, and there were guards at both sides of the front gate. Also, Lucy was able to see that some of the bigger houses were partially broken. She glanced at her travelling companions who nodded – it was time to put these disguises to a test.

Once they arrived the front gate of the city a moment later, they noticed the soldiers went through all the luggage people had with them before they were let in. And because of this, there was a line of people waiting to get in or out. Luckily the line trying to get into the city wasn't that long so it was soon Lucy's and other's turn. Lucy felt how adrenaline ran through her veins as the soldiers interviewed Theodore of his companions.

”I'm on my way to take two patients to the local mental hospital. Zephyrus' mental hospital was crowded and these two are very much in need of a treatment. I heard there's vacancy in the hospital in this city so I thought to bring these people here”, Theodore answered when he was asked 'what is the purpose of his trip to this town?'. Lucy couldn't believe how creative this man was. He was able to stay calm even when he went and lied on and on. Everyone just believed everything he said.

”Why are their faces beneath masks?” asked the other soldier, who was looking at Lucy and Sting, who had their faces covered by Happy and Lector.

”Oh, I forgot. They have this really dangerous skin condition that seems to be highly contagious. It's better for them to keep those masks on around the clock”, Theodore said. Soldiers, who were checking the said 'patients' out for dangerous objects backed off at once, and the group was immediately let into the city.

”Where did you get these amazing skills of lying?” Lucy asked him once they were far away from the guards.

”Before I became the emperor of Reana, I was a diplomat working for the King of Fiore. I was meant to bring peace between the two conflicting nations but then things happened and I got fired from this job for not being very trustworthy”, Theodore said. ”But as a diplomat I had to lie to certain people quite a lot. King Tomas required lying to get the result he was hoping for. That didn't work well when it came to Regina though. She was always able to read me like a open book, and the peace treaty was never signed.” He sighed again.

”Nice story, Theo. Your skills will be needed”, Sting said and grinned at him.

Theodore smiled a little, but it was evident that talking about the past with him was a painful subject.

”I know it hurts, Theo”, she said, ”but there will be a time when you will have to tell us everything. In the time where we lived, Regina was just a myth nobody believed in. We still don't know much about her, but you know everything.”

”I can't talk about it just yet”, Theodore promised. ”But when the time comes, I will tell you our story.”

”That's enough for me”, Lucy said and smiled. ”But now we need to... go to Fairy Tail.”

”I thought you'll never say that”, Natsu said, looking really excited. ”I bet they'll give us food and all...”

And with that salmon haired man began to run towards the guild building in the distance. Lucy sighed, shaking her head. Natsu was hopeless when it came to food!

As they walked on the main street of Magnolia, it became evident that the city had been attacked at some point in the past – some houses were still in ruins, and some houses were being rebuilt. There were also houses that were on the verge of collapsing and even places that were getting demolished. There was dirt and mess everywhere where Lucy looked at. It surely wasn't the Magnolia she remembered and loved, no, this was like it was from one of her nightmares she had seen while being imprisoned by Regina. There were no flowers, and no smiles on anyone's faces. People were mostly sad, and depressed looking. And hatred flashed in their eyes the moment a soldier in a black armor went by. It was easy to tell that the invaders were not welcome to Magnolia. Lucy was afraid of what would happen if they saw Lucy had sneaked into their territory.

_They will probably want to kidnap me, and blackmail Regina to give them the freedom they desire,_ Lucy thought as the group entered the center of the city. A group of people had surrounded a man, who was standing on a podium while reading announcements there. This man was wearing a black uniform, and he was heavily guarded by soldiers.

”When will the construction team arrive from the capital so we could finally rebuild this city to its glory it once had?” someone from the crowd asked, but the announcement reader did not listen to him.

_This is horrible,_ Lucy thought as she and the others quietly passed the group.

Lucy noticed how the city got even more messier and dirtier the closer they got to Fairy Tail. In this area some houses were abandoned for some reason. Even the street had cracks and blood stains on it. More houses were burnt down, and there was even a part of the town that had sunk into the earth partially, so the houses were on askew, leaning on the houses next to them.

And then, suddenly, Lucy stood there. In front of Fairy Tail. Even that hasn't been saved from the fierce attack long ago – there was holes and cracks on it, and parts of the higher parts laid on the ground. Of course, the members had obviously tried to repair the damage, but because there wasn't much material available and they were not allowed to go out of the city, rebuilding had been put to a halt. There was also a huge sinkhole next to the building. Lucy couldn't help but wonder who had such a huge amount of power to be able to create such things? She also hoped that she would never meet this person.

But when Lucy entered the guild – and Happy had jumped out of her hood – she was happy to notice that the guild hall was the same as it had always been in her memory.

”Other guilds would laugh at us if they saw the state of our guild”, said a familiar voice of Macao's.

”I'm pretty sure they already think we all got slaughtered by that woman who calls herself a empress of this shit land”, Wakaba's voice said.

”She's gonna give these soldiers an order to kill us eventually”, said Elfman, who was sitting with them.

_I can't believe I'm at the guild again..._ Lucy said, while feeling tears in her eyes. True, it wasn't the same guild she remembered. This one was the new one, and it was a bit different, but seeing those familiar faces of everyone still made Lucy feel very emotional. Lucy brushed her face a little bit – and did a mistake by pulling the hood out of her face.

”What the hell are _you_ doing here?! We don't need any imperial scum in our guild!” yelled Gajeel's voice from the other side of the room.

Lucy realized what she had done right at that moment. Everyone in the guild pulled out weapons from somewhere and they all pointed them at Lucy.

”W-wait, everyone... I'm not a enemy!” she told them. She knew very well how much destruction these people did when they were fighting against each other. Now they were all coming at her, all at once! Lucy wouldn't stay alive if they did!

”So did those others say but the moment the war began, they switched sides and helped Reana to win the war!” yelled Romeo.

”But I'm not lying! The one who hate is someone else!”

”Lucy, it's not going to help”, Sting said as he took the cape off. Lector jumped down to the groud. ”Might as well pretend to be a bodyguard guy of yours and keep you safe”, he added as he took a step forward and got into a battle stance.

”No way, this guy was here as well?!” said someone in the back. ”Sting Eucliffe, you ruined our city three years ago!”

”Good that you like the new design”, Sting answered. ”Because I think I'd like to continue redecorating this city of trash.”

”Let's talk about that once I've redecorated your ugly face, you scum!” Natsu's voice yelled from the bar.

Lucy looked at him. He had just been eating food but had decided to take a part in this brawl – just like Natsu Dragneel would.  
”Yeah, Natsu's gonna wipe the floor with you, scum!” someone else said when Natsu stepped right in front of Sting, who looked at him quizzically.

Natsu murmured something to him and Sting nodded. Then the two attacked at each other and Fairy Tail members cheered Natsu on.

”Let's go while they're too busy cheering Natsu on”, Theodore said and turned around.

Lucy didn't argue, it was the best that she didn't and followed him outside. Once they got there, Lucy couldn't even take a step anywhere when someone put their hand on her mouth and dragged her away from the front doors. Theodore, Lector and Happy were kidnapped by someone, too but Lucy was too busy to struggle herself free to figure out who it was. The other kidnapper was like some sort of a ninja because it disappeared so fast that Lucy wasn't even able to see who it had been. Lucy's kidnapper dragged her to the back yard of the guild, where this person finally let her go.

”What the hec – Gray?!” Lucy began, but once she had turned around, she recognized him.

”Lucy, calm down. I'm sorry I had to kidnap you but if I had defended you in the guild, I would have gotten into trouble.”

”How do you remember me as who I really am and others don't?” Lucy asked.

”I have no idea”, Gray said. ”I got sucked into Horologium Saeculum with everyone else. Then I found myself lying on the beach here with Erza and Froche.”

”Froche? Isn't he Rogue's Exceed?” Lucy asked.

”I caught him when he was sucked into Horologium Saeculum”, said Erza's voice. ”We don't have time for a chit chat though. Natsu and Sting has given us a chance to run so let's use it. We can talk in my apartment. I already took that man, Happy and Lector there.”

Lucy nodded. ”Let's go.”

The moment she said so, a weird light flashed and they disappeared – just in time for Laxus and Gajeel to run out of the backdoor ready to destroy Lucy and the two traitors, Gray and Erza, who were helping the enemy to escape.

Weird light flashed again, and Lucy, Erza and Gray found themselves in Erza's apartment.

”What the hell just happened?” Gray asked. ”What was that light, and how are we suddenly here?”

”It must be my new power I can't control yet, sorry”, Lucy said, and smiled.

”Looks like you're in one piece, Lucy”, said Theodore, who glared suspiciously at Erza and Gray. ”Who are these two and why did they kidnap us like this?”

”These are my friends Erza and Gray. I understood they were working together with Natsu on this plan to get me out of there safely”, Lucy told him. ”Erza, Gray, this is Theodore Darcas. He's my ancestor... and Regina's husband.”

”Wait a minute”, Gray said. ”You”, he pointed at Theodore. ”are Regina Heartfilia's husband? Since when has that monster of a woman been able to love anyone?”

”She was very much in love with me once”, Theodore answered. ”I don't know what I did to make her hate me so much though.”

”We have to talk about it later”, Erza said. ”Gray, we should try to go get Natsu and Sting out from the guild now.”

Gray nodded. ”It would be the best indeed.”

”Lucy, you and others can eat as much as you want from the fridge, okay?”

”Gotcha”, Lucy said and then Erza and Gray left the apartment.

After being alone with the Exceeds and Theodore, Lucy had noticed that this new timeline did not feel like her home and that resulted that she really began to miss what they had lost with the Horologium Saeculum. She knew that Sae had told them to fix things but at the moment while sitting on the sofa in Erza's apartment Lucy didn't feel very confident and sure that they will be able to do it. There was so many things that could go wrong that it scared her. Also, the burden already felt really heavy on her shoulders.

Not to mention the feelings she had towards Natsu. At first she had thought it was just a crush but ever since they had reunited she had been sure that those feelings were deeper and so much stronger than they used to be. But since when? She really had no idea when her small crush had turned into love. And more than that, when was the perfect moment to tell him? Lucy had no idea.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the door was slammed shut and she could hear panting. Then someone said something and Lucy heard footsteps coming towards her. She wasn't sure if it was a person she could trust or a person she couldn't so Lucy got up and took her whip – but then remembered that she didn't have her whip with her. It was somewhere lost into the old timeline and swore. If it was someone she had to protect herself from, she only had her keys which did not work at all yet and her Seeress powers which she knew nothing about.

”Luce, don't make a sound”, whispered Natsu's voice from the corridor. ”Gajeel was chasing us when we left...”

”Okay, Natsu”, Lucy said and sat back down on the sofa. So Gajeel was chasing them? Lucy felt really happy that she wasn't trying to escape from him like Natsu and others had. She would be caught easily. Again.

”I think he's gone”, Erza's voice quietly said few minutes later. Then she walked into the living room with others. They all had bruises and some wounds on their skin, but nothing too severe. Lucy was so relieved by that.

”And now we can talk about all this”, Gray said as he sat down on one of the arm chairs in the room. While everyone sat down, Theodore and the Exceeds also joined them.

”Well, first of all”, Erza began, ”it seems that three years ago there was a really devastating war in this area between Fiore and Reana. Fiore lost and was told to give up all the areas that Reana had conquered. Sadly, Magnolia was one of them. We lost this city to Reanians because apparently some members of our guild decided to switch sides and they told everything to Regina. She got the advantage against Fiore and therefore they won.”

”Also, from what we heard, me and Erza were the traitors”, Gray said. ”We don't exactly understand why would we do such a thing though. We can't ask anyone because all Magnolians basically hates us and wants us to die.”

”What about my guild?” Sting asked. ”The city were it's at is located very close to Zephyrus.”

”Sabertooth never existed”, Erza answered. ”Instead, you and your guild mates are part of the special magic forces of the Imperial Army. You're the captain, who also has a task to keep princess safe from harm. But from what we heard the war three years ago changed you so much that you wanted out of the army. And now they want your head on a silver plate because you kidnapped the princess two days ago.”

”Doesn't sound very out of character for me”, Sting said. ”But about the war three years ago, is it true that I created that huge sinkhole close to Fairy Tail?”

”From what we heard, yes. You and Rogue were also the ones who were given the order to destroy our guild so all guilds would lose their will to fight, apparently.”

”Magnolia is not going to get rebuilt until the citizens lets imperial army to imprison the rest of us for our so called crimes either”, Gray said. ”Magnolia is now called the base of rebels and must be guarded at all times.”

”This sounds really bad”, Happy commented.

”All of this makes sense to me”, Theodore said at the same time. ”In the past, when Regina had just begun to gain followers for her cause there was this one town that did not agree with the new rules so walls were built and it was heavily guarded around the clock. They were unable to contact anyone on the outside, and guards were ordered to do a full body check to anyone who goes in and leaves the place. Eventually Regina destroyed the city.”

”We can't let that happen”, Lector said.

”Mirajane, Wendy and Makarov are not at the guild”, Gray said. ”We have no idea where they are and nobody on this timeline even remembers who they are.”

”It must be the effect of Horologium Saeculum”, Lucy said. ”It replaces the old timeline with the new one, and gives everyone new memories and new roles in their lives. I'm sure that Master got sucked into the corridors of time just like we did but is lost in time somewhere. Same with Mira and Wendy.”

”This timeline sounds more and more messed up”, Natsu said. ”I say we find the time gate and get the hell outta here and fast.”

”We will”, Lucy told him. ”But we need to destroy the paradox that has created a Time Lock that prevents time from moving forward.”

”How do you know that, Luce?”

”I think Sae puts these thoughts into my head so I know what to do”, Lucy answered. ”And I know this is urgent. We need to make the time move forward again so we can go fix the next paradox after this one.”

”I'm not following”, Gray said. ”Please tell me everything before my head explodes.”

”When we got sucked into Horologium Saeculum, we found ourselves being lost in time where we saw how different timelines were collapsing. We were guided to a city called Caelum where the Goddess of Time Sae gave us a mission to fix the paradoxes so time could move forward again”, Lucy answered. ”This is what I'm doing here. I'm going to find the paradox and I'm going to fix it.”

”Alright then. What can we do to help?”

”Oh, a lot of things. Now we need a map of Magnolia so I can locate the parts of the paradox and you and others will go get those parts”, Lucy said.

”Sounds like a plan. I'll go get the map”, Erza said and left the room.


	17. Magnolia Paradox

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the second chapter of today's set of chapters for you. :) This is one of the longest ones I've written for this story and it was really fun to work on because I got to write some sneaking into it. I love writing sneaking in the cover of night scenes in my stories because they got this special kind of feeling in them that just gives me so much excitement to work with. I don't know why. :D

As the night fell, and Magnolia fell asleep, it was time for the time travellers to start doing what they were meant to do – find the pieces of the paradox and fix it. They had decided that it was best if they did everything during the night because that was when nobody would notice them. Nobody would chase after them and try to kill them because most of them were on Magnolians' 'Must Kill List' after all. So they divided into groups and began to work on their operation.

”Do you think we'll be able to find that thing Lucy wants us to find?” Happy whispered as he and Natsu were walking on the roofs of the houses on their way to their destination. They had to walk on the roofs because imperial soldiers were patrolling on the streets to make sure that no Magnolian could sneak out – or that's what Erza and Gray had told them earlier that day.

”We can't let Luce down”, Natsu whispered back. ”We gotta find that piece so she won't have a reason to come out and get caught. We'd be in serious trouble if she was taken to Regina now.”

Happy nodded as a answer, and they continued their walk in the night. From time to time the duo was able to hear crashes from the city, followed by a lot of yelling. Soldiers on patrol had probably found someone who was outside when everyone was meant to stay inside. Soldiers didn't treat the violators of these rules well, or that's what Natsu thought when the yelling stopped. He was unable to hear what they said because there was too much echo and other things to worry about. Like, what if the soldiers were already been warned that there was a group of people who didn't belong to this timeline? He was pretty sure that Regina did know. And why did he think so? It was because the moment he had stepped out of Erza's apartment that night, he had caught up a faint scent of Lisanna.

”We gotta be careful”, Natsu whispered to his Exceed companion when he smelt the scent again, this time a little bit stronger. Was Lisanna heading to the same direction as Natsu and Happy were?

_I seriously hope not, I'm not gonna fight with her this time,_ he thought. _I just want to get this over and done with so we can leave this messed up place..._

Eventually, after jumping from roof to roof for about 40 minutes, Natsu and Happy were finally able to find the place they were meant to go. House was deserted, and almost completely destroyed. Parts of it just laid on the yard, and it was also easy to see it had been on fire at some point as well. But it was still recognizable – it was Natsu's and Happy's own house. Maybe that was because Lucy had chosen them to go to this location. Then she had used some sort of a spell that had given Natsu and Happy all the information they needed to find the object she had called 'A Paradox Piece'. All of the information was put into their heads, and because of that, they were almost certain that they would find what they needed to find.

Insides of the house were in terrible shape. There was dirt everywhere, burn marks and parts that had collapsed – like the kitchen, for example. There was no access to it because the upper floor had came down and blocked the way. There was nothing that had survived the attack left.

”I can't believe this is the same house we live in on our timeline”, Natsu said. ”This place is so messed up!”

” _Hurry up, boys, we don't have much time in our hands”,_ Lucy's voice suddenly said in their minds. It was so sudden that the duo jumped into the air.

” _How are you able to use telepathy, Luce?!”_

” _Ask Sae. Now, hurry up. I already sent the other teams to look for their pieces.”_

Natsu just shook his head. Lucy had surely turned into a new person. She was the same, but something in her eyes said that it wasn't the same Lucy he had learned to know. She was so much more serious than before. And worst part of this change was that she didn't even tell anyone about her thoughts anymore. But it was obvious that she was determined to complete her mission that Sae had given her. But even so, Natsu definitely missed the old carefree Lucy.

”I wonder where the exact location of that damn piece is”, Happy said, surprising Natsu with cussing. Happy never did that!

”Since when have you cussed, Happy?” he asked as he began to search for the piece. Even though the information of the paradox piece was put into their minds by Lucy, the exact location of it was still a mystery. He and Happy only had weird flashes of a room where the piece laid on a table while shining in a blue light.

”Since now”, Happy said, and grinned.

”Man, I can't believe the Emperor came here to check out the situation in this city and I have to do this patrol duty!” complained a man voice outside suddenly.

”Hide, Happy!” Natsu whispered and both of them dived into the nearby closet that was still standing and closed the doors.

”I would have been able to ask him to move me back to the capital for a guard duty. I'm sick of this shitty town...” man kept complaining.

”I think we should just ask the empress if she could just blow up the place. We could get rid of this Fiorean scum as well as that Fairy Tail guild all in one. Then we could go home to our families”, another voice said. Then the voices faded away.

Natsu and Happy were able get out of the smelly closet. Once they did, both of them realized that the closet had also been in one of those flashbacks Lucy's weird spell had made them see. Natsu turned around and looked at it again. It was definitely in one of them.

”Should we move it or something?” Happy asked.

”I think so. Something in me tells me that the piece is hidden behind the closet”, Natsu said, furrowing his eyebrows.

Was this Lucy's power? She had said her instincts told her a lot of things like 'where to go', 'what to do' and 'how to do it'. He walked over to the closet and pushed it so it could turn – it was pretty much impossible to just push it forward because there was too much rubble everywhere – and just as his instincts had told him, he saw a doorway on the wall to a dimly lit corridor.

”Come on, Happy”, Natsu told to his companion and walked into the corridor. Happy followed him and they looked around. This place surely wasn't a part of their house as they knew it. They were definitely going to the right direction. It was also so very dimly lit that Natsu had to create a fireball to help them to see better.

At the end of the corridor there was a small room. It was very dark. There was only a small round table standing in the middle of it, lit by a small ray of light. On the table stood a object that was shining in blue light. Natsu and Happy looked at each other. This was definitely the Paradox Piece they were meant to find. And the duo walked over to that object. As they came closer, something happened. The room suddenly changed into Fairy Tail's guild hall – right into the moment when Natsu drank Reverse Potion and went unconcious and Regina Heartfilia came out of Lucy's body! Scene was gone in a matter of minutes and the room turned into it's original form.

”What the hell was that?” Natsu said. ”A flashback?”

” _It's a memory of what the Paradox Piece is connected to. This object is connected to our 791X”,_ Lucy's voice said in his head. _”All of these pieces are connected to the timeline where we come from. Take the piece and come back.”_

Natsu nodded – somehow sure that Lucy would be able to see it – and picked up the Paradox Piece which was a glass bottle. A very familiar glass bottle at that, too. Natsu was able to see Levy's handwriting on the etiquette that said, 'Reverse Potion'.

”A bottle of Reverse Potion?” Happy asked. ”But didn't you drink it in 791X?”

”Yep, but Luce seems to think that this will help. Let's go back before Lisanna or someone else comes and notices what we're doing”, Natsu said. ”Although, if I meet Lisanna, I will punch her into face for everything she has done to us. I was ready to forgive her once but now I just want to punch the teeth into her throat...”

*******

As Natsu and Happy were going back to their 'Safe Haven' as they called Erza Scarlet's apartment, Theodore Darcas – or Heartfilia – was looking at the very familiar looking soldiers in their dark uniforms from behind a chimney on the roof of a nearby house. His destination was the Imperial Base in the east part of Magnolia. It was heavily guarded and also consisted of houses that were completely rebuilt to match the houses back in Zephyrus. The soldiers and their families living in these houses were surely living well.

_I can't believe I'm supposed to sneak into the area alone,_ Theodore thought as he leant his back against the chimney.

How was he able to sneak into the heavily guarded area? It was basically impossible. He was very well aware that Regina's soldiers were not easy to fool. They would notice lies at once. And it was also very out of character for Theodore to walk alone without guards or without his wife. They had always been together if they were doing some sorts of check ups of the army. How in hell could he be able to sneak in without his wife now? And more than that, in the middle of the night?!

”I guess I just need to find a way in somehow”, Theodore sighed and turned around to look at the Base once again. He then noticed that there was no guards on one of the entrances on the West side of the base and smiled. That was his doorway. He then straightened back up and jumped on the roof of the next house and did that many times until he was close to the unguarded entrance. Then he looked at the streets and noticed that there was no guards anywhere to be seen, and climbed down the ladder. He then hid behind the nearby barrels just to listen his surroundings for a while.

Once he was sure that there was no danger nearby, he straightened up again and began to walk towards the west entrance. Once he reached it, he looked around to the left and right, and then proceeded to use the hanging Reanian Empire flag as a rope so he could climb over the wall that surrounded the Imperial Base. He soon found himself standing on top of the wall.

_Maybe I should knock out a guard and disguise myself as him..._ Theodore thought as he hid behind two boxes that laid on the floor.

”I wonder why the Emperor has been in this city so long already”, said a guard's voice so suddenly that Theodore froze in his hiding spot. ”He already finished the monthly troops' check up so why is he still here?”

_The Emperor? Oh no, is there two mes on this timeline?! Hmm, better eavesdrop a little bit more..._ Theodore thought and hoped secretly that he won't be caught.

”I think it's because of that weird duplication of his sword that we found the other day”, another guard said. ”The one that shines in blue light, remember?”

”Oh, yes, that one”, first soldier said.

_A sword engulfed in blue light? The Paradox Piece Lucy told me to steal from these people does look like my sowrd..._ Theodore thought as the guards walked past him without noticing him.

He stood up and made his way to the stone stairs that lead him to the Base. Once he did so, he thought it would be better if he climbed to a roof. He looked around on the street and found a ladder that lead him up. He felt so safe once he was able to see where the guards were walking on the street level.

As Theodore walked on the roofs – and from time to time he hid behind chimneys if a guard happened to look up – as he went towards the house his instincts were telling him to go. It was the biggest and most decorated house in the whole Base so of course the Paradox Piece would be there. He then stopped walking once he realized that he had no escape route planned. Why hadn't he thought of a way?

_I can't concentrate on anything well because I don't know if my wife and daughter are safe... The Regina I met in Crocus surely wasn't the one I married... And what did she mean when she said 'you're the one who caused this'? What did I do to turn her against me?_ Theodore wondered.

Yes, ever since the new, evil Regina had appeared to him along with that white haired woman, he had been unable to understand what would have happened that had turned Regina so cold. With him the woman used to be smiling. She used to be so happy. What had gone wrong?

His thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of footsteps that came from behind him. He turned around, ready to attack if the person was a guard but once Theodore saw who it was, he calmed down at once. It was just the Warrior – the mysterious blonde in red jacket, black skirt and a red cloak.

”I will help you out of here, Theodore”, Warrior said. ”Also, I will put an invisibility spell on you so it will be easier for you to steal the sword.”

”So the Paradox Piece really is my sword?” Theodore asked quietly.

Warrior nodded. ”But it's not the one from this time, it's from the original timeline from the time when you were a king, not a emperor.”

”So it's from 491X then. How does this item help Lucy to solve the paradox in this city?”

”She knows everything she needs to know, and she told you what she wanted you to know. She knows what she's doing. You have to trust her. She's your only way to get back to your own time”, Warrior said.

Then she looked around and also went to look down to the streets. ”This is the perfect place to go down and sneak into the Emperor's House, Theo. Come on”, she added and jumped down off the roof.

Theodore wasn't lying when he felt suspicious of how safe jumping of a roof would be, but was surprised when he noticed that there was a wagon full of hay bales. The Warrior was on a lookout and waited for Theodore. He jumped down and then climbed out of the hay bale wagon and walked to the girl who's name he did not know. He looked over her shoulder and saw the Emperor's House right in front of him few meters away on the other side of a water fountain. It was heavily guarded by Imperial Army Mage Forces – or IAMF for short – and that made Theodore feel very disappointed. If there were mages on guard duty, they would have no way to get into the house.

”Don't worry too much, Theo”, Warrior whispered as if she knew what Theodore had been thinking about. ”They can't sense you if you're invisible.”

And with that, she murmured something under her breath and Theodore felt a weird jolt everywhere in his body.

”We can see each other now but they can't see nor sense us”, Warrior added.

”Alright then. Let's go then”, Theodore said.

”But we must stay quiet when we pass them because they are still able to hear if we talk”, Warrior said.

Theodore nodded and stepped out of the alleyway they had been hiding. They headed towards the Emperor's House. Theodore looked around and saw that area wasn't as heavily guarded as he had thought it would be. There was only few guards patrolling the area at that moment. Of course, it made Theodore's mission a lot easier but he couldn't shake off the feeling that they were walking into a trap. And as they got closer to the House, his feelings of discomfort and suspicion became stronger. He was sure that something was up.

But he was wrong. Theodore and the Warrior were able to get past the mage guards at the House entrance very easily. Once they were inside the house, Theodore looked around and wasn't very surprised that the entrance hall was almost like the exact copy of Zephyrus' palace's entrance hall with the lines of guards standing on either sides of a red carpet. There were also torches that lit up the hall, and the walls had paintings of the imperial family. Theodore could see himself standing next to Regina, and with them there was also Lucy, who sat on a chair. There was also many doors in the hall but the Warrior was going to the one that was on the other side of the room, at the end of the red carpet.

_How come Lucy is my adopted daughter on this timeline, and why isn't Aurora in the picture?_ Theodore found himself thinking. _Has Regina erased Aurora from existence? I hope not. I would never forgive her if she hurt her._

”In case you're wondering”, Warrior whispered once they had entered one of the open doors in the hall, ”Your daughter Aurora is safe. I was able to go and save her. She's in Caelum with Sae.”

Theodore felt relieved. ”Thank you. I was worried that Regina had done something to her. And I mean the evil one, not the kind one.”

”She tried but was unable to”, Warrior said. ”That's when I ran in and kidnapped Aurora. If Regina had succeeded in killing your daughter, Lucy would have been erased from existence and things would be so much worse.”

”I'm truly thankful that you did. Now I don't have to worry about her well being anymore. I know Sae will take a good care of her.”

”Yes, but we should concentrate on your mission now”, Warrior said. ”We have to finish this before the spell wears off. I forgot to tell you that there was a time limit.”

”Why are we still standing here then? Let's move.”

After countless turns in the corridors that felt like they would never end, Theodore and the Warrior were finally able to reach the room where the Paradox Piece was. It was in the treasure chamber next to the Emperor's Room. Theodore was able to hear that the ruler – which was the exact copy of him – was arguing with someone in there but didn't bother to stay and listen. Instead he sneaked into the Treasure Chamber when the Warrior had successfully opened the lock without making any sounds. Inside the room there was lots and lots of treasure in there, and in the middle of the room stood a glass box that had the floating Paradox Piece in it. It was Theodore's sword called Stormbringer. Theodore had gotten it from Regina as a gift. It had magic cabalities and gave him a power to use air as his ally in battle. Sword was silver colored with blue lines on the blade and had small sapphires as decorations. But what made this sword different from Theodore's memories was the blue glow that it had.

”Take the sword and I'll teleport us out of here”, Warrior said, while she was looking at the door, ready for a possible fight if they were unlucky enough to see soldiers come in. Their invisibility spell had wore off a while ago and Warrior had not been able to use it again for some reason.

Theodore did as she asked and walked over to the glass box and touched it. Box opened at once and Theodore grabbed the sword and locked the box again. Once he took the sword, he experienced a weird sensation of deja vu when the room turned dark and changed shape. He remembered that room so well – it was the same one where Regina and he had met for the first time. Sword had been given to him as a gift of some sort from the Empress of Reana, as Regina called herself. Even then Regina had been in love with dark colors. But before anything really could happen, the vision disappeared and was replaced with the Treasure Room once again. It took a while for Theodore to actually find his composure again after that little glimpse of the past.

”I got it”, he told the Warrior as he joined her.

”Good”, Warrior said. ”Now, grab my hand and I'll teleport us out of here before anyone notices what's up.”

Theodore nodded and grabbed her hand.

Golden smoke appeared and surrounded them.

*******

Unlike everyone else, Erza Scarlet did not use roofs to stay safe. She had been lucky enough to get to go to a area where guards did not patrol. This area of the city was mostly in ruins and nobody lived there so it was pretty safe – of course, with all the broken houses and the streets Erza still had to be careful so she wouldn't get hurt from falling stuff or stepping into a crack on the street. But mostly it was pretty safe.

Erza's destination was Lucy's apartment. In the visions she had been given by Lucy's power she knew that the Paradox Piece she was meant to get was located in that place. It was probably something in Lucy's belongings from the original timeline. She had also understood that these objects would glow in blue light, so she was sure that the piece would be very easy to find because of that said glow.

Suddenly Erza stopped. She couldn't get over the fact that someone was watching her, following her every move. But whenever Erza looked around, she saw nothing. Was someone trying to play games with her? Or was it someone from Fairy Tail trying to hunt her down to kill her? After all, the guild hated her and Gray now for what they had done in the past on this new timeline.

_I must concentrate on finding that Paradox Piece,_ Erza thought and began walking again.

Once she reached Lucy's apartment, she noticed that it was just as destroyed as the rest of the houses in the area. But part of it was still standing, too. Erza couldn't find a way in after looking for one for a moment. It seemed that the window was the only option if she wanted to get in and wondered if the windowsill would still be able to carry up her weight. After all, this area of the city hadn't been taken care for three years but she decided to take the risk. She needed to get into this house – prefetably without making a noise that could alarm the guards – and she would do anything to make that happen. And that's why she took a deep breath and jumped up high enough to reach the windowsill. Once she reached it, she heard a loud crack coming from it and knew that it wouldn't be long until it broke. Which was why she just broke the window and dived into Lucy's room. And she was just in time because she could hear the windowsill fall to the ground outside.

”There goes my plan to get in without making noise then”, Erza said and stood up.

She looked around and saw how dusty the room was. She also noticed how all closets were open and contents were thrown on the floor. There was clothes and food and other stuff everywhere. It was evident that the remaining residents in the city had been looting the area after the war had ended three years ago.

A faint glow of blue light caught Erza's attention from beneath one of the piles of clothes on the floor. She walked to it and picked up the clothes – noticing that they were, in fact, Lucy's. How was this house exactly like in the original timeline and not someone else's? After picking up all the familiar clothes and throwing them away – mostly because they smelt bad – she found the glowing object beneath the pile. It was Lucy's black whip! Erza picked it up and the room suddenly turned into what Lucy's apartment really was like: a clean, cozy room where she used to live. But before Erza could even really think about it, the weird vision was gone.

_Did others experience similar things as well?_ Redhead wondered.

”How do you like the new 794X, Titania?” asked a voice from behind her so suddenly that Erza actually got scared. Owner of the voice chuckled in a mocking tone and added, ”You're in some really deep shit here, aren't you, traitor?”

Erza turned around to face the white haired, orange eyed woman, who was laying on Lucy's bed. She looked at Erza with a sneer on her face.

”I'm sure it was a huge surprise to find out that the guild you all call home has turned their backs on you”, Lisanna added.

”And I assume that you're a part of the guild on this timeline?” Erza asked calmly although she was on high alert. She hadn't expected Lisanna to appear!

”Oh, of course not. Why would I want to rejoin such a trash guild? Regina's giving me so much more freedom while Fairy Tail takes it away. With my powers I can do basically anything”, Lisanna said and got out of the bed.

Erza drew out her sword and readied herself. She would definitely fight this girl again if she had to and she would win again!

But Lisanna just laughed. ”Oh, you want to fight me again? Didn't the last time teach you anything, Titania? I always win. One way or another you'll end up losing so why bother?”

”I don't care what's your plan on this timeline, but I'm going to stop you”, Erza told her.

”Is that so? Well, this isn't the time nor the place of our next encounter, Titania. But when the time comes, I will make sure that the Seeress will die a slow, painful death”, Lisanna said in a mocking tone, and looked like she enjoyed every last bit of the threat.

Then she just smiled evilly and black smoke surrounded her.

”Goodbye, Erza. You better go tell the blondie so you and other losers can protect her!” she added from the smoke and then the swirl disappeared.

Erza felt annoyed. Lisanna was right there and she didn't attack her! What if she goes to harm Lucy and others? Erza was pretty sure that the white haired devil knew where Lucy was right now! And what if she had informed the imperial soldiers, too? That can't happen! Erza transformed into her Flight Armor. With this she could get back to her apartment faster than any other way.

*******

If Lucy Heartfilia had known what was about to happen, she would have ran away from Erza's apartment at once. It all happened when she came from the kitchen where she had eaten food with Sting, who was still on his everlasting guard duty to keep Lucy safe. But he went to take a shower soon after that and therefore could not save Lucy from getting kidnapped. Lucy went from the kitchen to the living room to sit on the sofa and look at the map to see if all Paradox Pieces were now collected. She sat on the sofa and saw that Theodore and Erza had just retrieved their Pieces. That just left Gray, who was on his way to Fairy Tail. That's where the final Paradox Piece was. Lucy could only hope that everything would go well for him. After all, the members of the guild were now basically their enemies on this new stupid timeline.

_If everything goes well, I'm able to fix the time lock and open the next gate for us without any problems,_ Lucy thought and sighed. _If we're able to leave this timeline easily, then not even Regina will find out that we're here to fix this..._

But Lucy should have been more careful – when she got lost in her thoughts, she was open for all sorts of attacks. That's why she did not notice how someone emerged from the shadows before it was too late.

”Water Lock”, said the voice, bringing Lucy back to reality just in time to see how Juvia Locksar kidnapped her.

Lucy tried to fight back as best as she could but it was no use – everything turned dark.

*******

Gray Fullbuster had just arrived at the Fairy Tail guild building and had hid behind a pile of boxes. The reason of this was that he had noticed that the building was lit up, meaning there was people inside. How would he be able to sneak in if there was someone inside? He could have climbed to the roof but to do that he would have had to go into the front yard and that was out of the question because the front doors were open and people walked in and out. This was very unusual behaviour for the guild because usually at this time of the night everyone was sleeping. Had the new timeline turned all of them into people who liked to stay up late? What was the point in that? Gray had no idea.

”I wonder how are we gonna get in if people are still awake”, Lector murmured.

”Fro thinks so too!” Froche said – in a voice that was way too loud.

”Maybe you should carry me to the roof and I'll sneak in?” Gray suggested. ”It might work. I'd go get the Piece and then we can go back to Erza's apartment.”

”That, or we'll just sneak through the front doors that are closing right now”, Lector said, pointing at the doors that were, indeed, being closed at that very moment. People in the yard were all walking away to who knows where and the lights in the windows were put out one by one. Everyone was leaving. Gray couldn't help but grin at his luck. Now he wouldn't have to climb or fly!

”Let's go and get the piece as soon as possible then”, he said aloud and stood up.

He and the two Exceeds ran over to the other side of the street and entered the front yard of the guild. They looked around and there was nobody there who could sneak up on them, and then they made their way towards the doors. He reached out for the handle and –

”Gray! Look out!” Lector suddenly yelled but it was too late.

Gray felt how someone hit him behind his ear with a force that would knock him out and he fell on his knees to the ground.

”It's awesome when you get tipped that someone's gonna come and loot us again, gihi”, Gajeel's voice told him from behind him as Gray was about lose his conciousness.

”I hope that white haired woman was right about when she told us where to find the princess”, said Romeo's voice.

”Juvia finds her for sure. She's good at tracking people down.”

_Oh hell... they're gonna give Lucy to the imperial army?! What for?!_ Gray thought and hoped that Lector and Froche were able to escape.

That was the last thought he had before everything went black.

*******

After who knows how long she had been knocked out, Lucy regained her conciousness and opened her eyes. She sat up from the floor she had been laying on and looked around. The room looked like the kitchen of Fairy Tail. But this one wasn't as full of ingredients as it always was in Lucy's memory. Also, a part of the wall on the other side of the room wasn't even there. There was only a cloth in its place which was another proof of how bad things were in Magnolia on this new timeline.

”Damnit!” Lucy heard someone say from the door that lead to the guild hall.

”Gray?” she asked.

”I've tried to open this door for the past hour but it's no use. They've put a barrier on it”, Gray said. ”Same with the other end. There's absolutely no way to escape from this...”

Lucy heard desperation in Gray's voice. ”Gray, why are we here...?”

Gray refused to answer.

”Gray, please tell me what's going on!”

Gray sighed and turned around. ”They're going to hold you a hostage until Regina and Theodore of this timeline gives this town everything everyone needs. In exchange they would give you to your new parents.”

”I don't want to go live with them!” Lucy said, standing up. ”There has to be a way to get out of here!”

”But how in hell are we gonna do that?”

”I don't know!”

”Should we ask help from Loki?”

”Because of Horologium Saeculum I have lost my connection to the Celestial Spirit World. I can't use any of my keys.”

”What about that Goddess you told us about? Could she help?”

”She can't meddle with the timeline. It's against the rules the Gods of Time made”, Lucy answered and sighed. ”My new powers won't do any better. I could turn back time for a moment but I have no idea of how much time has passed since I got kidnapped.”

”So we are trapped then”, Gray said. ”We can only hope that Natsu and others will come for us. But that only happens if Lector and Froche were able to escape...”

Lucy sighed. It was like a deja vu, but this time Lucy was imprisoned by her own guild mates instead of a crazy, cold hearted sorceress who was also a queen of a ancient kingdom. Compared to this that felt nothing. Being imprisoned by people whom Lucy considered to be her only family was a real nightmare. She was sure that Natsu would find her though. When she had been imprisoned by Regina, she had lost that hope almost immediately.

_This time I'm not going to lose hope. You'll find me before they give me to the imperials, right, Natsu?_ She thought.

After a relatively long wait, the door to the guild hall was finally opened. Gajeel and Elfman came in, both of them having looks of hope in their eyes instead of hate that Lucy and others had seen before. Were they really thinking that their crazy plan would actually succeed?

”Let's go, princess. It's time for you to go home”, Gajeel said as he grabbed Lucy by the arm and dragged her outside.

Lucy tried her best to get freed but Gajeel was stronger.

”Let her go! If you knew who she really is, you wouldn't be doing this, Gajeel!” Gray yelled as he was dragged outside by Elfman.

”That's nonsense. I know very well that she's the heir of the enemy, and I'm gonna take this chance and make that bitch of a Empress give us what we need”, Gajeel told him. ”This plan will work. Especially when we stop you from running over to imperials, traitor.”

”Gray is no traitor!” Lucy defended him. ”And neither am I your enemy! Let me go, Gajeel!” she added.

But Gajeel didn't listen.

Instead, he and Elfman dragged them both out of the kitchen and into the guild hall. Lucy looked around in hopes to see a friendly face in the crowd but they were all looking at her as if she was something poisonous. And then her eyes met someone she knew she loathed with every cell in her body.

”Lisanna...” she growled and glared at the girl.

”So you actually caught the snake?” Lisanna said, smirking evilly. ”I'm sure that our Empress will reward you for this little gift.”

”Stop playing your stupid games, Lisanna!” Gray yelled. ”The only traitor in this room is you!”

”Oh, I see you also caught a cockroach as well. What was he doing?”

”He was trying to sneak in like a goddamn thief”, Gajeel answered.

”Well, thankfully he is of no importance to the imperials. At least not anymore since he went and told everything to them in the first place. But I do wonder why he's still alive?” Lisanna asked and looked around the room. ”And it also looks like you were unable to catch the other traitor. Where's Erza Scarlet?”

”We don't know”, said Juvia. ”Lucy was the only one in Erza's apartment.”

”Why are you doing this?” Lucy wanted to know. ”Why can't you just let me go? I'd run away and you don't have to see me again...”

”But then we wouldn't get what we need to rebuild the town”, Elfman said. ”And that's why we can't let you leave, princess.”

”Wait, everyone”, Cana's voice said. ”The princess has the Mark of the Goddess on her left shoulder!”

”Oh yes, that trashy goddess marked you. That's why my Master is unable to kill you”, Lisanna said. ”But the same rule doesn't apply to me.”

Lucy couldn't help but feel the shivers go down her spine when she said that. So Sae's Mark on her shoulder protected Lucy against Regina but _not against Lisanna?!_ She gulped and suddenly felt how fear began to take over her very being. She had realy thought that she'd be protected by the Goddess against both of them!

”Thank you, Fairy Tail, for giving the Seeress to me”, Lisanna told to everyone else, giving up the act she had put up and smiled as she summoned a Dark Javelin to her. ”Now, you can all watch how I'll end her life for my Master's sake.”

”Wait, what? But you said –” Gajeel began, now all of his confidence gone.

”Did you actually think Reanian Empire will give you anything you rebels desire? Don't make me laugh. She will only be pleased when I have killed Lucy”, Lisanna told them and laughed as everyone in the guild realized that their white haired ally was actually just as cold hearted as the ruler of the realm.

”We didn't catch her for you to kill!” Romeo yelled. ”We wanted everyone to get better lives!”

”Well bohoo then, crybabies”, Lisanna said.

She then rose her Javelin into the air and was ready to slice horrified Lucy in half with her weapon. Lucy couldn't move. The revelation was too much for her to bare. She wasn't safe. Not at all. She was still in danger! She would always be in danger!

”Lucy, get out of the way!” Gray yelled. ”Lucy!”

But Lucy was unable to move. She knew the Javelin was about to hit her and she couldn't do anything! She wanted to do something – jump to the side, kick Lisanna into her knees, anything! But she just couldn't. This was her end. There was no other way than this.

And right at that moment, there was a sound of weapons clashing.

Lucy looked up, and saw Theodore standing in front of her, holding the sword that shone in blue light as a shield against Lisanna's Dark Javelin.

”I'm not going to let you kill her!” Theodore yelled and pushed Lisanna's weapon away. Surprised looking white haired girl stumbled few steps back and fell on the floor. She cursed horribly and looked really, really angry as she got back up.

”What the... Is that the Emperor?” asked Macao.

”Luce!” yelled Natsu and he ran inside the guild. Then he spotted Lisanna and said furiously, ”You stay away from my Luce!”

”Oh, you never looked at me like that in the bedroom, Dragneel”, Lisanna said and laughed. She then swung her hand and Theodore flew out of the way. ”You'll be Regina's victim too, Theo”, white haired girl said and took a step towards Lucy but she was stopped by Natsu's fiery fist that hit her right into face.

Again, Lisanna regained her composure fast and she massaged her jaw for a moment while looking at Natsu with murderous look in her eyes.

”You're so dead, Dragneel. I don't care what I felt for you once anymore. I will slice you in two pieces and make your precious Lucy watch while I'm doing so”, she told him.

”Then I will make sure that I will kill you first”, Natsu threatened.

That surprised Lucy completely. Had Natsu ever thrown death threats towards people before? She wasn't sure of that at all.

”Go ahead and try then”, Lisanna said, getting to a battle stance. ”Maybe your pathetic feelings of affection towards Lucy actually gives you strength because last time you were such a loser opponent.”

” _You have to stop them from fighting, Lucy. This is not the time to defeat Lisanna Strauss”,_ Sae's voice said in Lucy's mind.

” _I had the hunch of that as well”,_ Lucy answered and got up from the floor.

Neither Natsu or Lisanna noticed it. They were too busy in throwing threats at each other while the others looked at them with looks of uncertainty. They weren't sure if the two were going to fight or not, but to Lucy it was actually a good thing that everyone was distracted – she sensed that Paradox Pieces were all in one place and she decided to unlock the time lock now.

She snapped her fingers and all the pieces rose into the air – Theodore's sword, glass bottle, her whip and a half of the parchment roll that had once been Pure Light's Bless – and they formed a circle into the air over Lucy's head. She raised her hand up and realized how she knew exactly what to say as she walked further away from everyone. Once she stopped, she stood in the middle of the guild hall and took a deep breath while she hoped that this would work.

” _I am the one blessed by the Goddess of Time_

_I am the one whose allowed to travel through time_

_With the keys in my hands_

_With the eyes that See_

_I will open the Time Lock_

_Grant me my wish,_

_And open the new path to the future untold!”_

What finally stopped Natsu and Lisanna from starting a battle, was the distracting flash of bright blue light behind the crowd. Natsu and everyone in the guild turned around to see Lucy standing there on a golden magic circle, her arm raised into the air. Blue light turned into blue smoke that began to cover up the guild and everyone in it. While it did so, Natsu was able to hear strikes of clock somewhere in the air as well. And then, as Lucy opened her closed eyes, she had smalls symbols on the surface of her eyeballs that were shining in bright golden light.

”What is this?!” Macao yelled as the smoke covered every member of Fairy Tail and they fell unconscious to the floor.

Natsu and others were also covered in the blue light – except Lisanna who swore and teleported away before the smoke could reach her – and they also fell unconscious. The only one who stayed wide awake in the middle of the smoke was Lucy Heartfilia who kept her hand up in the air until she was able to hear a sound of a unlocking lock.

Also, on that day, the Clock of Time began to move forward once again – causing Goddess Sae to smile and feel hopeful for the future.

Once the smoke began to disappear, it showed Lucy another time gate. She knew at that very moment, that it was time to leave. Once the rest of her companions woke up from their unconsciousness, Lucy quietly opened the gate with the crystal key she had acquired while opening the Time Lock.

”I assume you were successful at opening the Time Lock then”, Sting told her calmly.

”Yes, I was”, Lucy said. ”We have to leave before they wake up.”

”Why? I thought we could stay here for a little bit and chat”, Natsu said.

”Because they won't let us leave, Natsu”, Lucy said and looked at all of their guildmates who laid unconcious on the floor. ”As much as I want to think of this place as my home, it's not the same Fairy Tail we're from. These members are people who lives on a different timeline. They have no memory of who I really am. They only see me as the princess of a empire they lost a war to. I'm not a friend to these Fairy Tail mages.”

”I honestly thought that they'd turn back to normal”, Natsu confessed and ruffled his hair. ”I hoped they would so I could show them we actually found you.”

Lucy smiled to him. ”So they could throw me a big welcome back party?”

Natsu nodded and grinned.

Lucy's smile faded and she sighed sadly. ”Even if they had returned to normal, Natsu, I still wouldn't be able to stay here. I need to fix what she broke...”

”Oh, now I understand”, Theodore said as he picked his sword up from the floor. ”You're thinking you're responsible because Regina is related to you. You want to clean up your family name so that you won't be remembered as the descenant of a tyrant ruler of Reana, right?”

Lucy only sighed in defeat. How could Theodore see what was going on in her mind so easily?

”Don't worry, Lucy”, Theodore added. ”There might be a way to make Regina remember who she actually is. Then she'll stop this nonsense herself. Just leave it to me.”

”What can you do to make things better, Theodore?” Lucy asked.

”Don't worry”, Theodore repeated. ”I have my ways. I know the person Regina is behind that evil sorceress image of hers. Trust me. Everything will work out. We just need to lure my wife out of her hiding place first.”

Lucy nodded, feeling hopeful. Maybe things will actually work out well eventually.

”Lucy, you really need to start talking about these things. You've been like a shadow of the old Lucy for days now”, Natsu said. ”We aren't going to leave you alone no matter what, you know?”

”I know. Thanks, Natsu”, Lucy said, smiling.

She then realized that it was really her first genuine smile in a very long time.

*******

”And you say that Lucy Heartfilia was actually able to open the Time Lock I had created?”

”Yes, Master. She's smarter than I thought she would be. I didn't expect her to use mine and Dragneel's war of words as some sort of a disguise. I noticed what she was doing too late. I'm sorry”, Lisanna said while being kneeled on the floor in Regina Heartfilia's palace in Zephyrus. Lisanna couldn't believe she had failed so severely in her guarding mission.

”You do know that I should punish you for letting yourself getting distracted, right?” Regina's cold voice asked but Lisanna did not dare to look at her in the eye at the moment.

Regina's expression would have been frightening.

”Yes, I'm aware of that, and I will take in any punishment you see fit, Master”, Lisanna said, although deep within herself her soul was on fire. Not for the fact that she was ashamed for her actions but for the fact that she couldn't understand why hadn't Regina killed Lucy back in the original 794X. Now they wouldn't have this problem! Lucy had been taken in by none other than the Goddess of Time herself and she had been given powers to travel through time. Why didn't Regina put an end to her existence before that happened?

”No, I will not punish you this time”, Regina decided. ”But if you fail again, you will be, understood?”

”Yes, Master”, Lisanna said, and rose up to her feet.

”Wonderful”, Regina said. ”Now, it's time to unleash our summoner of darkness”, she added and snapped her fingers.

A swirl of black smoke appeared, and a man with black hair came through. He wore a brown leather jacket and brown trousers. He's shirt was black.

”You called, Master?” man asked.

”I have a job for you”, Regina said. ”I want you to summon the Shadow Giant and send it to the year of 800X where the Seeress and her companions are headed to.”

”I will do as you say, Master”, man answered and disappeared into a swirl of black smoke.

_Hm, maybe Master is not as weak as I thought she is,_ Lisanna thought. _But I need my own plans just in case..._

White haired girl smiled to herself as she also began her journey through time into further into the future.


	18. The Warrior

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the last chapter of today's set. This chapter was heavily inspired by Final Fantasy XIII-2's part were Serah and Noel visits Cocoon's Bresha Lake ruins where some archaeological research is made so there are similarities to the game's storyline in that part that you may notice if you have played the game yourselves. :)

_Ancient city ruins,  
_ _Year: 800X_

In a alleyway of the ruins of a ancient city there was a flash of light, and from that light a time gate appeared. As it opened, a group of people came out. Once they did, they noticed that the place was a war zone judging by all the noises they heard. People were shouting everywhere. There was explosions and weird, loud growls that only a monster with huge size would do.

Lucy and others didn't waste any time – they ran out of the alleyway as fast as they could and found themselves standing on top of a staircase. At the bottom there was a group of soldiers trying to fight a gigantic looking monster. Monster was black, and had small yellow eyes.

”We gotta help them!” Lucy said. ”They can't beat that thing without magic!”

”Let's do this then!” Natsu yelled. ”Happy, let's go!”

”Aye sir!” blue Exceed yelled and rose on his wings, grabbing Natsu and they flew into the sky. Lucy noticed that Sting and Lector followed them.

”I think you should stay on the side this time, Lucy”, Erza said. ”Since you can't use your Spirits, you're in danger.”

”Well, I can do one thing”, Lucy said and snapped her fingers. Everyone shone in golden light for few seconds and then it disappeared. ”This spell is called Gold Shield. It gives protection against dark magic, and this black creature is definitely born from darkness. You concentrate on defeating it and I'll take Froche with me and we'll try to find clues of the paradox in the area, ok?”

”Sounds like a plan”, Gray said. ”Now, go.”

Lucy nodded and picked Froche up and walked away – just in time before the huge black monster smashed his fist on the stairs, causing it to break.

*********

Once Lucy and Froche had left, others concentrated on the battle at hand. Natsu's and Sting's attacks didn't do much damage on the monster. Also, to Erza it seemed like the monster was guarding something. She was able to see a floating dark crystal underneath it. Monster was obviously guarding it, but for what reason? Was it some sort of a strong magical object that these soldiers were told to get?

_It does look a bit like that key Lucy used to open the time gate in Magnolia though. Maybe it's a key crystal?_ Redhead thought.

”Natsu and Sting doesn't seem to be able to make much damage on the monster”, Gray said.

”Neither do my swords since this monster is made of shadows”, Erza told him. ”But do you see that crystal beneath him? It's guarding it. Maybe if we steal it, this monster will disappear.”

”Now is the good moment to do that if we must”, Gray answered. ”Monster's concentrated on killing Natsu and Sting. He doesn't care about you and me very much.”

”I think you should go grab it while I'll join the battle.”

”Why?”

”You're the only one who can get there without making any sounds of course. I will join Natsu and Sting to distract him and you'll get the crystal, Gray.”

”Okay then. I'm ready when you are”, Gray did look a bit reluctant to go and do what he was asked, but he knew very well that it was better to just listen to her than say no.

And thus Erza nodded, changed into her Giant Armor while Gray took another route to reach the crystal. Erza then readied her spear and threw it up into the air, right towards the monster's chest.

*********

While others did their best to distract the monster, Gray was wondering how was he supposed to get the floating crystal that it was guarding so fiercely. Monster was moving his legs all the time so Gray would be in a grave danger every time he went near. He had tried this for many times by now but none of it worked.

_Wait, what if the shield Lucy used on us could be used as weapon as well?_ Gray thought as he remembered Lucy's Gold Shield spell. Gray looked at the legs of the giant monster and gulped. This had to work. Everyone – well, Erza at least – trusted him enough to let him do this.

_Okay, here it goes... if I die, I will make sure that I will haunt Erza for the rest of her life though,_ he thought as he walked towards the crystal.

First punch of the leg came at once when he began to get closer and closer. Shield appeared around him at once like some sort of a transparent ball around him. It gave a sap of electricity to the monster every time his feet got close enough. Monster obviously didn't like it because he growled every single time.

”Gotcha”, Gray said once he reached the crystal and picked it up.

Then, right at that moment, the black monster growled in disappointment and turned into black smoke. He disappeared into thin air.

”That's it?!” Natsu yelled. ”We just had to take that crystal thing and the monster got knocked out?!”

He looked disappointed and furious as he and Sting landed back on the ground.

”You need to learn to control your temper, Natsu-san”, Sting told him.

” _You're in a forbidden zone. Put down the black crystal, and put your hands up. You are all under arrest until further notice”,_ came a announcement from the nearest loudspeaker.

They were all surrounded by soldiers in white uniforms, who were pointing guns at them. Gray and others looked at each other and he put the crystal back down and rose his hands up. He was able to see a glimpse of Lucy's blonde hair behind the crowd as well. She was already imprisoned.

”Luce!” Natsu yelled, and tried to get free as best as he could. ”Get your hands off, losers! I'm gonna go get Luce!”

”We need some help with this guy!” one of the soldiers yelled, and two others joined in keeping Natsu in place. But salmon haired man didn't give up, which resulted in soldiers giving a electric shock to turn him unconcious.

”Is anyone else of you going to fight back or are you coming with us willingly?” asked the soldier with a weird device in his hand.

”We will come willingly”, Erza said calmly. ”This man here has always had trouble with his temper. Please excuse him. We know how to control him.”

”Very well then, you'll be all thrown to the same cell with the blonde girl then”, soldier agreed. ”Take them away, and take the crystal to the scientists. They wanted to look at it.”

*********

Eventually Lucy and others had been kept prisoners for hours with no contact from the soldiers or the scientists. They were held in a storage room while they could easily hear everything the scientists said to each other. Lucy had learned that these people were here to solve the ancient mystery regarding time mages that had disappeared hundreds of years ago, leaving all of their cities abandoned and in ruins. Lucy kept listening, because everything they said might give her a clue of the next paradox. She had already realized that the giant black monster was a paradox itself, but she didn't believe it had disappeared just like that. That monster will return, she was sure of it.

Storage room was full of boxes of different types of things. Lucy wasn't even sure if she knew anything about this. She wasn't even sure where they were at the moment or the year they were imprisoned in. And these boxes surely did not give her any information what-so-ever. So she just had to wait until someone comes to talk with them.

”The black crystal seems to be some sort of a key”, said one scientist in the next room. ”We also found this weird looking structure from the alleyway our prisoners came from and the crystal reacted to it at once. I think we need to question the prisoners of these things. From what I saw, they knew what was going on.”

”But are we allowed to do anything? The leader of these troops is crazy. He doesn't understand what we're trying to do here exactly”, another scientist said.

”Then we should just sneak in and ask these people. I do have the keys”, first scientist said.

_That's my cue_ , Lucy said and stood up. She walked to the door.

The two scientists looked at her curiously.

”I can give you the information you want if you let us out from here. It's very important that you let us investigate the area. There are things that I must do”, she told them.

”What are you looking for from this area?” first scientist asked.

”If you let us out, I may reward you with that information, but as long as I'm kept here, I won't tell you anything. So, do we have a deal?”

”We will be in trouble if that troops leader finds out we let you out”, second scientist said, looking very troubled.

”There's no need to worry”, said a new voice.

It was a white haired man who had green eyes. He was wearing a different type of uniform compared to the scientists and the soldiers Lucy had seen. This man was wearing a tie, a white jacket and brown trousers. His boots were black. On his waist there were two guns attached to his belt. Next to him there was a brown haired girl, who had short sandy brown hair and green eyes. Her uniform was in similar colors but she was wearing a dress instead.

”I have told the leader of the guards that these people freed”, man said.

Two soldiers in white uniforms came from behind him and opened the door to the storage room, and Lucy and others were let out.

”My name is Hope Smith, and I'm the leader of Fiorean Academy of Science”, man introduced himself. ”This is my assistant Alyssa, my younger sister.”

”My name is Lucy, this is Natsu, Gray, Erza and Sting”, Lucy introduced herself and her friends – mostly because they were busy in trying to wake Natsu. ”The Exceed are Happy, Lector and Froche”, she added.

”Ah, so it is true then”, Alyssa said. ”You're the time travellers we've heard so much about in the past six years.”

”What?” Lucy asked, feeling surprised. So what they had done in Magnolia wasn't as quiet as Lucy had hoped.

”There are a lot of rumors of the princess of Reana being actually a Seeress and those people are very holy to Time Mages”, Alyssa said smiling.

”We are aware of what happened in Magnolia six years ago, Miss Heartfilia”, Hope said, smiling. ”But don't worry, we aren't going to send you to the Empress. In fact, she doesn't seem to be interested in finding you anymore.”

”Well, those are very good news”, Lucy said, feeling relieved.

She had been worried that Reana's troops would always be trying to catch her when she least expected. It was a good thing that it wasn't like that anymore.

_Maybe when I solved the paradox in Magnolia made Regina in this timeline completely forget my existence?_ She wondered.

”Those are great news, but I'm also interested in knowing where we are”, Sting said.

”You're in the ancient ruins of Caelum”, Alyssa answered. ”It was the capital city of the Time Mages' kingdom that was once located in the area.”

_Caelum?_ Lucy thought, feeling confused. They had just been in a place called 'Caelum'! Was there two places with same name?

” _The Caelum where you are now was destroyed in a war long time ago. The Caelum you came after you were sucked into the corridors of time was only a illusion of that city, or more like a dreamworld of a place that once existed. You are in the real Caelum right now, Lucy”,_ Sae answered to her question immediately.

”I see”, Lucy said aloud.

”What's the real reason you let us free?” Sting interrupted, looking suspicious.

”Well, it's the paradox in the excavation site”, Hope answered. ”We haven't been able to make much process here recently because of a woman in red and a man who appears from the shadows. Every time they appear, that Shadow Giant you just destroyed appears.”

”All this started when we found that black crystal three days ago”, Alyssa added. ”It's been really hard for us to work here. And once you came and destroyed the Giant, we came to a conclusion that we need your help with this.”

”You want us to solve the paradox”, Lucy summed up. ”That's exactly what we came here to do”, she continued. ”That crystal is a key to another time gate. We need it when we're going to leave this place.”

”So you are truly time travellers then”, Hope said. ”Good. Then I will not interfere in your quest, and I will give you a free pass in the area”, he added and turned around to leave the room. ”Are you coming, Alyssa?”

”I am, brother!” Alyssa said, blushing deeply when she was caught watching Sting by everyone in the room. She then followed her brother out of the door.

”So we can walk freely here now?” Gray asked. ”That's awesome.”

The two scientists from earlier gave Lucy the black crystal. She smiled to show her gratitude and looked at it. Crystal felt really cold and also very _dark._ She also noticed that it was broken.

”This crystal is broken”, she said aloud when they had left the room. ”We need to find the other half of it. It's located somewhere in this place. I can sense it.”

”Well, let's begin the sear – what the hell?! Nora's scent!” Sting said, and sniffed the air again. ”It's coming from that direction!” he added and pointed towards the north path from the center of the town ruins.

Lucy couldn't even say no because Sting ran off right after he had finished talking, his eyes having a hopeful look in them.

”So that's the reason Sting and Lector are with us”, Erza said. ”He's looking for Nora.”

”True”, Lucy said. ”He believes Nora is alive somewhere and wants to find her.”

”But wasn't she a part of your soul, Lucy?”

”Yes, she was, but I was told that her mind had become so strong that I would have lost myself into her thoughts and become a part of her soul instead. That's why she never rejoined”, Lucy explained.

” _Shadow Giant has been sighted in the north section of the city. All units present on the camp site, head towards that direction right away!”_ announcement rang through the Science Academy Camp.

Soldiers who were present in the camp ran towards North at once, leaving scientists behind.

”We need to go there as well”, Lucy said. ”We need to get rid of that giant. I think it's guarding the other part of the crystal key!”

”Then what are we waiting for?! Let's go!” Natsu said.

Others nodded, and they walked over to the northern entrance of the campsite. Lucy noticed that many scientists and other staff members looked at her curiously and was pretty sure that the rumors of time travellers had been spoken again. She wasn't sure if Sae would approve these sort of things though. Shouldn't they try to be as anonymous as possible instead of this.

_Also, this area looks like the center of the city,_ Lucy thought as she looked around.

There was a old fountain in the center of the area and buildings had been built in a circle around it. Between the rubble of the surrounding buildings there were streets to the other areas. The alleyway Lucy and others had used was located on the northern side of the fountain. There were the familiar stone stairs and up there was the alleyway where the gate was located. Lucy could see people going in and out of the path and was worried that they might accidentally open the gate and get sucked into the corridors of time.

” _Don't worry, Lucy. I have made it so that the gates requires you and the crystal key to open”,_ Sae answered.

” _How do you always know what I'm thinking about?”_ Lucy asked curiously.

” _Your thoughts are connected to mine. I know everything you've been thinking about”,_ Sae said.

”Stop! Who are you and what do you think you're doing?!” asked one of the soldiers from Sting, who was trying his best to get through the crowd at the northern entrance as Lucy and others arrived. He was blocked by two soldiers and a barricade.

”I need to get there. My girlfriend might be in trouble!” Sting yelled.

”You're not a soldier, sir. We cannot let scientists or civilians into this area when Shadow Giant is on the loose”, first soldier said, and pointed his gun at Sting. ”Don't make me use this, sir.”

”Wait!” Lucy said and ran towards them. She stood between Sting and the soldiers. ”We have a free pass in the area. It was given to us by Hope Smith.”

”Are you sure you want to go further into the ruins, ma'am? It's very dangerous out there”, first soldier asked.

”I have to go there. There are things that I must do”, Lucy firmly said. ”We know exactly how to destroy the Shadow Giant as well so please let us pass.”

Soldiers looked at each other for a moment and then back at Lucy.

”Very well then, but don't blame us if you get into trouble there”, first soldier said and opened the path for the group.

They walked through – or in Sting's case, ran through – and up the stone stairs that led them deeper into the ruins.

The nature had taken over the ancient ruins. Everywhere Lucy looked, it was hard to tell what the city had looked like once. She also noticed the signs of the war that had originally ruined this city so many years ago. She was also very curious to find out what had happened because Time Mages had been a forgotten race of which information had been ridiculously hard to find.

” _Sae, can you tell me about the history of this city?”_ she sent her thoughts to the Goddess and hoped that she could tell her something. Anything would do.

” _Caelum was the center of everything. There was three smaller cities around it, all named after the Four Great Seers, who had been born in them. They were Serena, Aqua, Terra and Nox. Seer Nox fell into darkness and began to wage war against other cities, including Caelum. Even though the leaders tried their best to avoid the conflict, their attempts were in vain and the war still began. Terra and Aqua both were lost in a matter of days while the town of Serena was Caelum's ally. Seeress Serena and Seer Nox fought against each other in the centre of Caelum and the battle took their lives. It wasn't long after the war that the dragons started to roam in the area, making it impossible for Time Mages to survive so I evacuated most of them to the Caelum where we met”,_ Sae explained.

” _So you mean there are still Time Mages in existence?”_ Lucy asked curiously, as she climbed over the tree roots that were blocking the way to the northern parts of the city ruins.

” _There are few families that refused to leave”,_ Sae revealed. _”They decided to start living among other humans, and pretend they weren't mages at all. Back then Time Mages were often used to change things in other people's lives which I did not approve. So I made sure that information of this race would be destroyed and I gave that mission to these families but they forgot who they really were as time went by.”_

” _Regina and I are Time Mages, aren't we?”_ Lucy asked.

It had been on her mind ever since Horologium Saeculum had been activated. She remembered reading that only Time Mages could use that spell, and Regina was successful at it. And Lucy was her descenant. It was pretty obvious that Lucy was – in fact – a descenant of an ancient race.

” _Yes, you are. When did you figure it out?”_ Sae asked.

” _I've thought about it ever since I learned that Regina was going to use Horologium Saeculum and it's a spell that only a Time Mage can activate. And because I'm her descenant, that means I'm also related to them”,_ Lucy explained.

” _That is correct. Your ancestors were one of those families that refused to leave with the others”,_ Sae confirmed. Then her presence in Lucy's mind was gone.

Lucy couldn't figure out why she had left her so soon, but it certainly felt unusual. Was it normal for a goddess to do this type of a thing? Somehow she had a feeling that it wasn't normal at all.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she and her companions stepped around the corner and a saw a big town plaza open before their eyes. There was a old stone fountain in the centre of it all, in the middle of the fountain there was a old statue of Goddess Sae holding a clockface over her head. Houses around the plaza were all made of stone, but none of them were standing anymore. Everything was a pile of rubble. Lucy was also able to see two long stone pillars standing in the middle of the mess and could see the Clock of Time being placed between them once in the distant past.

As the group walked on, Lucy noticed everyone was talking of others who hadn't been in Fairy Tail in 794X – she was shocked when she heard them say that Mirajane, Wendy and Carla had been in the Isla of Shamans when Regina's army had decided to destroy the island civilization. She was even more horrified when she heard that the Trimens from Blue Pegasus had been sent there to get them but then Regina had attacked Crocus and everything had fallen into chaos. Nobody knew if they were alright. Lucy hoped that they were alright because she didn't think she could deal with deaths right now. Hell, she wasn't even sure if she was alright herself! She had only just a little while ago gotten her soul fixed back together!

”Wait, stop walking!” Sting's voice ordered.

Everyone stopped walking and he sniffed the air. ”No freaking way. I can smell her again... Nora! Nora, where are you!?” he added.

”Do you think it's wise to be so loud?” Erza asked him. ”There has been a battle in this area at some point and the enemy may still be here. Be quiet, Eucliffe.”

”But –”

”No buts, Sting. We need to be careful and keep Lucy safe. I have understood that in order to fix this problem we need her alive so you can't just go and announce every enemy that we're here.”

”She's right, Sting. We aren't gonna let Lisanna or Regina get their hands on Luce again”, Natsu said with determination in his eyes.

Lucy wasn't sure if she had ever seen that look before but it did make her feel warm deep inside her very soul. And that – of course – made her smile.

Then she felt a presence.

She felt it in her very soul.

It was a very familiar presence of someone who she knew. Right at that moment this presence was full of frustration because something she had been looking for had got away. Lucy began to understand very well why Sae had thought that Nora wouldn't be able to rejoin Lucy's soul. Nora's mind was, indeed, very powerful. Even now it kept calling Lucy's soul and she had to fight the desire to go get the last piece of her soul.

_I can feel how my soul wants the last piece to rejoin me but if that does happen, will I disappear?_ Lucy thought.

”I can feel Nora. She's definitely here”, she said aloud. ”I feel her drawing me to her even now.”

”You're not going to make her join you, aren't you?” Sting asked.

”I'm not. I can't. I have a feeling that I might disappear from existence if I did. After all I was told that Nora's mind and heart are so strong that rejoinment is impossible”, Lucy told him, furrowing her eyebrows. ”Which makes me wonder if I should even go close to her.”

”Then you'll stay here and I'll go with Nora”, Sting decided.

Then, suddenly, a swirl of golden smoke appeared, and once the smoke disappeared, everyone saw a blonde, who looked exactly like Lucy. She was wearing a red jacket, a black miniskirt and black boots. There was also a cloak attached to her red jacket's backside. She was carrying a sword in her hand.

”Goddamnit, he ran away again!” she yelled in anger. ”I'm so done with this hide and seek game you're playing, idiot! Get back here and I'll smack some sense into you, traitor!”

”Nora...?” Sting said, looking at the angry woman.

”I got no time to chat now, Sting, I need to go!” Nora said and disappeared into a swirl of golden smoke.

”Goddamnit, I was so close to get her back!” Sting said. He looked at Lucy. ”Could you locate her for me?” he asked hopefully.

”She isn't in this place right now, Sting”, Lucy answered. ”But the Shadow Giant isn't far away anymore. Let's go beat that thing first and then search for Nora.”

”Deal, blondie”, Sting agreed and grinned.

He was obviously very happy because someone had finally sided with him.

”Did you just agree on helping Sting, Luce?” Natsu asked, shaking his head.

”I thought you'd agree on helping him, silly. You're the one who knows how he feels about this. This situation is basically the same as it was when I was nowhere to be found and you and others tried your best to find me, remember?” Lucy said.

”Nonsense, weirdo.”

”Unbelievable. He doesn't even want to admit that he missed Lucy more than anything”, Gray whispered to Erza, who actually nodded in agreement.

”Aw, screw this. Let's just GO!” Natsu hastily said and walked away.

”Does he even know where to go?” Theodore, who had been very quiet since they had left Magnolia, asked.

”I doubt it”, Lucy said. ”Let's follow him though. Knowing him he gets himself into trouble sooner or later.”

After walking for a long, long time, Lucy and others finally found the way were soldiers had been going. There was a underground tunnel they walked in and out. There were two guards guarding the way in case the Shadow Giant would appear there. Lucy and others walked into the tunnel and guards didn't say anything about it.

_Probably because Hope told them that we're free to walk here,_ Lucy thought as the group walked forward in the empty tunnel. She could see that the place was a bit more advanced looking than what Caelum looked like outside. She saw some weird, transparent vibrating messages moving on the wall surface. Tunnel was dimly lit, and covered in mist. It was also very cold place.

”I don't like it how cold this place is”, Happy complained.

”Me neither”, Lucy said and shivered. She then felt a warm arm around her shoulders and smiled because she knew very well who it was. ”Thanks, Natsu.”

”You're welcome”, salmon haired man said. ”And I did miss you more than anything”, he whispered into her ear.

Lucy couldn't help but smile and whisper, ”I missed you more than anything, too”, to his ear.

Natsu smiled but said nothing.

The group kept walking through twisty labyrinth of tunnels, and only way to navigate was Lucy's ability to sense the other half of the artefact. They were all happy when it finally ended because the tunnel – or underground passageway as the soldiers called it – was so dark and uncomfortable to walk in.

When they exited the tunnel, the area they went to didn't really surprise them – the ruins were even more destroyed than they used to be. There were wounded soldiers sitting on the ground next to the ruined buildings and medical personnel tried their best to keep them alive. There were also lifeless bodies on the ground where they laid forgotten.

”We need back up here! Shadow Giant's getting stronger!” yelled someone to other soldiers few meters away. ”It's gaining strength from that goddamn crystal it's guarding!”

”That's our cue”, Lucy said as the other soldiers took their weapons and followed the first one's lead to the battlefield. ”We need that crystal half to put the crystal key back together.”

”Let's do it then”, Sting said, and he ran to the direction the guards had ran off to.

Lucy and others followed him.

*********

Sting was the first one to arrive to the battlefield, which was another plaza looking place. Shadow Giant was standing in the middle of it, right over a floating dark crystal piece that they had been tracking down this whole time. However, Sting's thoughts were somewhere else – Nora. He had finally been able to see a glimpse of her and was glad that she was okay, but the way she behaved was so unlike Nora. Why had she been so pissed off? And to whom? Sting hoped that Nora would appear again, and explain it to him.

”I think sneaking up to the crystal won't help us this time”, Gray said as the group watched how soldiers and the Giant clashed over and over again but it was no use. The more soldiers used their weapons against it, monster used a dark shield for protection.

”We need a proper distraction, that's all”, Lucy said. ”Also, we might have to attack it all at the same time.”

”But you'll do something else, right?” Theodore said.

”I'm gonna get the piece. I sense that this monster is stronger than me, so I shouldn't even try to go against it. It's important that we'll get the crystal piece so I'll get that while you'll destroy the monster.”

”Are you sure, Luce?” Natsu asked, worried look on his face.

”I can handle this, Natsu”, blonde girl promised smiling.

_Seriously, when will those two get down to business and confess to one another?_ Sting thought as the group got ready for the battle by taking their places. Lucy used her Gold Shield spell again and then she actually made herself invisible!

”Stop being amazed by my magic and move, Sting”, Lucy's voice said.

”Stop sounding like my girlfriend then, Lucy”, Sting told her but wasn't sure if she heard him.

”Let's go”, Erza told everyone. ”Lucy can take care of herself. We just need to kill this thing before it notices what we're doing.”

Sting was already running when she began to talk.

Everyone followed and they stepped in between the soldiers and the Giant.

”Hey, get out of the way! You'll die!” someone behind them yelled.

”Nope, it's the other way around!” Sting said. ”Lector!”

Red Exceed rose on his wings at once and picked Sting up. Shadow Giant looked at him with its yellow eyes. As Sting readied his first attack, so did the monster.

As the battle had gone on for a while, the group began to realize that Shadow Giant was more powerful this time. It had also gotten a lot more smarter since it was able to protect itself from the attacks. Of course, once the monster's attempts at punching them also ended up in failures because of Lucy's shield that protected them but this monster wasn't a easy one. And they had no idea if Lucy had been able to reach the crystal yet. It was still floating below the monster, giving him power to keep fighting.

_I hope that Lucy isn't hurt, we'll probably be in some really deep shit if she died,_ Sting thought as he used another Holy Ray on the Shadow Giant. It hit him on the side and made the monster growl. He attempted to punch Sting again but failed as Lector dodged the hand. However, they didn't expect the other punch from above and therefore they soon found themselves hitting the hard ground.

”Sting! Are you OK?!” asked Gray, who just threw a group of ice daggers at the monster.

”I think I'm gonna lay low for a while so dizziness goes away”, Sting said, feeling like the world was going round and round in his eyes. Shadow Giant had sent them flying, and going in circles while doing so wasn't making Sting feel very well. Actually, he felt like his motion sickness was taking over him.

_Oh hell, not now! I hate my sickness!_ Sting told himself and tried to control himself. It began to work very slowly but surely, and Sting was soon able to get back on his feet. Lector, however, was unconcious on the ground so he really had no way to rise up into the air to attack the monster that way. But he also noticed that Shadow Giant had actually began to slow down in its movements – finally – so Natsu, Gray and Erza had more chance in hitting it with their spells.

Then – just like that – a large dark shield appeared around the Giant that blocked all attacks from the outside and the monster rose his hands into air.

”It's gonna use Crush!” a soldier from the sideways yelled. ”Be careful there!”

”Why aren't you fighting anymore!?” Sting yelled as he picked Lector up and ran away from the monster so he could shoot it with long range attacks easier.

”We think you can handle this well enough...”

”Bullshit, you're just afraid”, Sting said and stopped running. He turned around to face the monster. ”Be careful, I'm gonna use my roar on it!” he yelled to Natsu and others who were trying to stop the monster from destroying the area more.

”White Dragon's Roar!” he added and that launched his attack.

It went right towards the Shadow Giant and went through the shield, hitting the monster right into his chest. But the shield had taken a lot of it's effect away so the monster only roared back with rage and readied his Crush attack again. This time his fists had a black aura around them.

”Damnit, what are you doing!? You just made him angry and now he'll use a even more powerful attack on you!” yelled one of the hiding soldiers.  
”Well, how about you come and try to attack it instead since you know how to beat it!?” Sting shot back, annoyed that his attack had no real effect on it.

”Look out!” Erza yelled from somewhere behind the Giant as the monster brought his arms down on the ground with force that sent piles of rubble everywhere. Also, Sting had to throw himself to the ground to dodge the dark aura that had followed it. He also felt how the ground shook beneath his feet and hoped that Lucy wasn't hurt.

Then – as the monster readied himself for another Dark Crush – the Shadow Giant was impaled by a flash of red. Monster roared in pain so loudly that everyone had to cover their ears from it. Then the creature was slowly covered in golden light as it disappeared. Erza herself was panting kneeled on the ground. She was wearing one of her armors – flight armor, was it? Sting couldn't believe she had just destroyed the gigantic monster just like that!

”Holy hell, they actually destroyed him!” one of the soldiers yelled. ”Look, the paradox is disappearing! Everything's turning back to normal!”

He was right.

Once the Shadow Giant had disappeared, all the destruction it had caused in the ruins began to turn into the way they were before the monster had appeared. Even the sky cleared up and the storm stopped. Sting didn't mind the light, he definitely loved it more than the dark, rainy weather.

”Why didn't you impale it when the battle started?” Gray asked from Erza as Sting joined the group again.

”Because the dark crystal would have kept him alive”, Erza answered. ”Lucy told me by telepathy that she was successful in stealing the piece and the monster got weaker so it was easy to take care of.”

”You're saying that like I was supposed to know that already, Erza.”

”Well, well, well, what do we have here?” said a male voice, interrupting their discussion. ”A Seeress messing up with my Master's plans and her pathetic group of friends.”

_No freaking way..._ Sting thought as he looked up at the center of the destroyed plaza – and saw Rogue standing there! Except that this Rogue wasn't the same he knew. This one was more menacing, more colder and just plain dangerous.

”Don't go there, Froche. That's not the Rogue we know”, he warned the green Exceed in frog outfit as he stopped him from going to his friend. Froche's eyes were full of tears and it did make Sting feel sad as well. How had Rogue gotten himself into this mess?

”Rogue, stop speaking nonsense and hand Lucy over to us”, Erza told him.

”Only if you make a deal with me”, Rogue answered and snapped his fingers.

A swirl of black smoke revealed Lucy, who was tied up with black ropes and the piece of the dark crystal artefact appeared into his right hand. ”If you wish to save the Seeress, you will have to give up the artefact. And if you want the artefact, I will end Seeress' very existence right here and now”, he calmly said.

”None of those deals makes any sense”, said a new voice.

Then a swirl of golden smoke appear next to Rogue, and everyone could hear a loud noise of a gun being used. Rogue teleported himself out of the bullet's way and then Nora appeared out of the golden smoke. She was reloading the gun and then shot Rogue's direction again. He had to dodge the bullet again.

”No! Don't you dare to take that piece!” Rogue yelled as Lucy got free of her prison and then picked up the piece from the ground.

”Watch me”, blonde told him as she ran away. As she reached the rest of the group, a transparent wall rose between them and Nora.

”Keep her safe”, Sting's girlfriend said and then her gun transformed into a sword. She turned to Rogue. ”The deal is that when I'll beat you, you'll give me every last piece of information regarding the location of Regina Heartfilia and Lisanna Strauss so I can destroy them.”

”And if you lose, Warrior?”

”I won't because I'm stronger with the Real One's presence!” Nora said as she began to shine with golden light. Then she charged at Rogue with speed that Sting had never seen her use before. Yes, they had sparred together many, many times and Nora was fast with her attacks, but this was something supernatural. All her movements were faster than before.

”Luce, what are you doing?” Natsu asked. ”You're shining in golden light!”

”I'm lending my power to her”, Lucy said but when Sting looked at her, she didn't look well at all. She was pale, and it looked like she was in pain as well. She ended up falling on her knees to the ground eventually. Sting turned to look at Nora, who was just using her trademark Whirlwind attack that sent enemies flying. Then Rogue followed her example by using his dark magic and he called upon a black dragon which Nora shot into death with her weird gunblade fusion.

”Nora has gotten stronger”, Lector said grinning.

”Why does she hurt Rogue?” Froche asked sadly. ”Aren't we friends?”

”That's not the same Rogue we know, Froche. Nora is probably trying to make him come back to his senses”, Sting said.

”Fro thinks so too!”

”If this battle goes on, Lucy will lose her conciousness”, Theodore said. ”Nora's draining too much power from her.”

”Nora, stop!” Sting yelled. ”You're going to kill Lucy!”

”What?” Nora yelled, getting distracted – and Rogue took that as a chance to use a attack that gave Nora numerous hits everywhere on her body. She yelled and cursed Sting for distracting her as more and more attacks came her way. Sting began to get worried. Nora can't die! Sting still wanted to hold her close to him as much as he could!

”No fuckin' way I'm gonna let this happen!” he yelled and was just about to use his magic when he heard a gunshot from Nora's gun.

The battle came a instant halt – even though Nora was badly hurt, she was still able to hold herself together as she pointed the gun at Rogue who was now paralyzed.

”Now, tell me what I wanted to know”, Nora said. ”The next bullet will kill you”, she reloaded the gun to demonstrate how serious she was.

”Fine then”, Rogue said which surprised Sting and others completely. ”Regina is everywhere on this timeline. Lisanna is guarding the keys to her headquarters just like I am.”

”What do you mean, _'Regina is everywhere on this timeline_?”

”She knows everything that happens on this timeline. That's why we're able to follow the Seeress because she senses her every movement. This is _her_ timeline, and _she_ is in control”, Rogue explained.

”What's the location of her headquarters?”

”That information you need another deal for”, Rogue answered and disappeared into a swirl of black smoke.

”No! I was so close!” Nora cried in frustration and then fell on her knees onto the ground.

Sting rushed to her side the moment the transparent wall disappeared. ”Nora, are you OK?”

”You mean like, am I still alive? Yes, I'm still alive... Maybe”, Nora answered but then she fell to the ground unconcious.

*********

Nora woke up at the Science Academy's Base Camp few hours later. Sting sat next to her the whole time. They both had tears in their eyes when they finally had a talk of what had happened, and what hadn't been said it Crocus before Horologium Saeculum sucked everything into the swirl of time.

”You finally confessed that you actually do love me”, Sting said as he held Nora's hand. ”You have no idea how happy it makes me.”

”I was so stupid not to realize it sooner. I'm so sorry”, Nora whispered. ”I'm such a heartless bitch...”

”No, you're not. You're who you are and I love that Nora.”

”They're so adorable together”, whispered Lucy quietly to Natsu as they were spying on the two of them. Natsu didn't know why he was there spying on this couple but when Lucy had showed him with _that smile_ he couldn't say no. That's why they were now peeking into the medic room and looking at the pair holding each other's hands.

”I don't deserve you or your love but I know you won't run away from me so I guess we're together then”, Nora was just saying and then Sting hugged her tightly.

”I'm so happy that they found each other again”, Lucy said. ”One day, I'm gonna be just as happy with someone...”

Natsu looked at Sting and Nora again – they were sharing a passionate kiss now – and couldn't help but think about his situation with Lucy. He was pretty sure that Lucy liked him more than just a friend but why didn't neither of them say anything about it? Were they really this clumsy when it came to things like this?

_I think it might be the right time to stop hiding what I really feel for Luce. I will regret it for the rest of my life otherwise... Hmm, I gotta plan this a bit first,_ Natsu thought as he glanced at Lucy.

”I think we should give them some privacy now”, Lucy suddenly said. ”They seem to need a bit of that...” she mumbled, blushing hard as she turned around and walked away.

_Did she just see something dirty? Gosh, she's so adorable_ , Natsu thought grinning. ”Yo, Luce, you shouldn't be so ashamed. When you'll find that someone you'll be happy with, you'll do dirty stuff with that guy, too.”

”Shut up, Natsu!” came the answer.

”Come on, Luce. It's not abnormal at all.”

”Are you seriously suggesting that we should watch them while they have sex? I refuse to do that. I already made that mistake once, and I'm not doing it again.”

”Okay, Miss Tomato”, Natsu said and grinned when Lucy came to a halt and glared at him.

”Miss Tomato!?” she exclaimed. ”What's up with you suddenly? I'm getting this weird deja vu kind of feeling.”

”You wanted to spend time with me so I'm doing exactly as you asked”, Natsu said, smiling. ”Because you know I like to hang out with you.”

Lucy's smile was as bright as the sun in the sky.

Once Nora and Sting had renewed their relationship in the hospital room's quietness, they finally joined the rest of the group who had just gathered up to the plaza where their first encounter with the Shadow Giant had happened. The plaza was now completely unharmed – minus all the ancient ruins, of course – and everything looked like nothing had happened.

”I hope that once you leave, the Summoner of Darkness won't return”, Hope said.

”Oh, if he returns, I will know about it”, Nora told him.

”So you're the legendary Warrior of Time then. Nice to meet you. I'm Hope Smith, the director of the Fiorean Academy of Science.”

”I'm Nora Heartfilia. Nice to meet you, Hope”, Nora answered as they shook hands.

_She uses Luce's last name as her own?_ Natsu thought and raised his eyebrow at Lucy, who just shrugged as if to say, 'I know nothing'.

”And this crystal – or artefact as the Seeress calls it – opens a time gate to another location in the future?” Hope asked, holding up a black colored crystal.

”Yes”, Lucy answered. ”Although I think this one takes us to somewhere where we aren't allowed to go yet... It has this atmosphere of danger all over it.”

”Well, maybe you can use another crystal artefact we found after the Shadow Giant was destroyed”, Hope said and took out a blue colored crystal from his bag. ”I noticed it looked very similar to the dark one, so I kept it with myself until Nora was feeling better.”

”Thank you, Hope”, Lucy said as she took the offered crystal. She looked at it for a moment and smiled. ”This will take us to a very beautiful place”, she told everyone.

And then, suddenly, a look of pain appeared on her face and a weird clock symbols appeared into her eyes.

_Lucy didn't know what she was looking at. Only thing she knew that this floating city was in grave danger as the army of black creatures chased down the civilians in their hunger for chaos. And in the midst of all of it, there was a blurry figure who stood there, watching the chaos one had created. And then, Lucy felt how the city crumbled beneath her feet as it began to fall down to the ground below..._

Lucy sat up in panic and fear and looked around to make sure she wasn't in that horrible place anymore. What was that city anyway? A floating city? Where? When? How...? And who had been that blurry figure who had been looking at the chaos and seemed to be so satisfied with it?

”Lucy, are you OK?” Gray asked. ”Why were you yelling?”

”What, I wasn –” Lucy began.

”Lucy, it's very important that you tell us what you saw. It may be a warning of something that is going to happen but isn't meant to happen”, Nora said. ”Speak up. Every detail.”

Lucy shallowed hard. ”It was a floating city that was under attack by the Soulless Army, and then it fell from the sky to the ground, killing millions of people... and more than that, there was someone in the middle of all the chaos who was only satisfied with the catastrophe...”

”This is not good”, Nora said. ”This is really, really bad. We should go confront that bitch right away.”

”Which one?” Sting asked.

”Regina obviously. She's gonna cause more chaos!”

” _Don't tell them anything more about that person you saw until you're sure of your suspicions, Lucy”,_ Sae's voice said as Lucy was about to tell them that she wasn't sure who that person in her vision had been.

”No, we aren't strong enough to go to her headquarters yet”, Lucy said. ”We'll try to find more clues on this vision on other locations on the timeline first.”

”But Lucy –” Nora began.

”No buts, Nora. We have to do things right. We aren't the bad guys here. We don't take detours or scheme to make our way easier to walk. If that chaotic event is on our path, we can't do anything about it. Is that clear?”

Nora fell quiet and nodded. ”Whatever you say, Real One.”

”And quit calling me that already. If you're going to join this group, you have to start calling me Lucy”, Lucy told her as she got up to her feet again.

She walked over to the new time gate and opened it with the blue crystal. She wasn't sure if she was doing the right decision by not doing what Nora had suggested but her hunches told her that using this artefact would give them some answers eventually...


	19. The Imperial City

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I'm back with another chapter for Shattered. I'm only going to post one chapter this week because the story gets pretty heavy in terms of storyline from now on and chapters are kinda long because I got very inspired when I was writing it in 2016. :D

_Oak Tree Forest  
_ _Year: 875X_

Once the time gate opened next time, and Gray got out from it before others, he looked around. It was a very thick forest. It was so thick that it was impossible to see the sky so Gray couldn't tell what time of the day it was. Also, he wondered how far into the future the group had travelled this time and _where_ exactly were they. Lucy had said that their destination would have been beautiful, but looking around in the forest he had to disagree. This place didn't look very appealing or friendly or pretty much anything that had a positive ring to it.

No, this place looked dangerous. He definitely didn't like places like this. All the trees were so close each other that the forest looked darker than it should have been. He was also very sure that animals in this forest were looking at him like he was their prey. It really made chills go down his spine. How in _hell_ was this supposed to be a beautiful place!?

”I didn't expect a place like this”, he mumbled.

”This place isn't beautiful”, Natsu said. ”Luce, what's going on?”

”I can't say...” whispered confused looking blonde.

”Maybe the gate just relocated itself in case the original location in this place was dangerous”, Nora said and shrugged. ”They can relocate if the Seeress is in danger.”

”Fine then, we shouldn't accuse Lucy of messing things up then”, Natsu said.

”Shut it!” Lucy said and punched him on his arm playfully.

Natsu only grinned at her.

_Those two need to get down to business soon,_ Gray thought as he watched them flirt mercilessly with each other – just like old times.

”Quiet!” Sting hushed them suddenly. ”Get down, I heard something over there!” he pointed towards the nearby trees.

Everyone threw themselves to the ground and stayed quiet. They heard voices from the forest talking but the echoes made their voices distorted so they couldn't hear what they actually said.

_There are people living in this forest? I think we should be careful because they might be bad guys..._ Gray thought as the voices and their echoes disappeared and the time traveller group got up on their feet.

”I suggest that we leave this forest now”, ice mage said aloud. ”I get weird goosebumps from this place.”

”Sure, but what direction should we take? I don't sense any traces of artefacts here”, Lucy said.

”They said something about a huge city located in the West”, Sting said. ”But that was the only thing I could hear properly.”

”I guess we should head there then. Maybe we'll find clues.”

”But we should also be careful in case someone attacks us. We have no idea where the enemy is. This looks like a perfect place for an ambush”, Erza said.

Everyone nodded and they began to walk towards the direction where the voices had come from earlier. They soon found themselves standing on a sand path, but there was no exit in sight. That's why the group decided head towards the direction where the voices had come from – according to Sting they came from the right – and they began to walk again. Gray noticed that the sand path was in a surprisingly good condition for a path that went through a thick forest. Usually in this type of places paths were barely visible or gone completely.

”I need to tell her but I don't know how, Happy. I'm such a loser when it comes to these things...” Natsu's voice said quietly behind Gray.

The two best friends had left behind a while ago, saying 'we'll make sure that there won't be surprises this way'. In all reality Natsu only wanted to talk with Happy – and obviously the subject was Lucy.

”Maybe you should just go to her and kiss her. Nora loves it when Sting does it...” Happy said.

”I'm not gonna turn into Sting to get Luce to love me”, Natsu said.

_He still haven't told her? I thought he did in the ruins of that ancient city..._ Gray thought. _What did they do if he didn't tell her?_

”I should have told her the first moment I saw her. These days something happens the moment I'm starting to think that the moment is the right one. I hate it”, Natsu complained.

”Want me to tell her for you?” Happy suggested. ”I'll give her a huge fish!”

”I gotta do it myself”, Natsu said. ”I just need the right moment and the right place...”

”You always say that and then complain how things don't go your way though.”

”But I can't mess this up!”

_I think you're gonna mess things up more if you don't tell her soon, Natsu. She won't wait for you forever,_ Gray thought.

”Wait”, Theodore said suddenly, causing the group to stop walking.

He walked towards the pile of rubble on the side of the road. He looked around for a while and then looked at the right side of the road where Gray noticed was a piece of a fence. Theodore then looked thoughtful for a moment and then sighed.

”I know where we are.”

”Tell us!” Lucy said. ”I do have my suspicions because this place looks familiar to me but I can't say for sure...”

”That pile of rubble”, he said pointing at the ruins, ”used to be the border station between the border of Reana and Fiore. It was destroyed when Regina decided to take over more areas in North Fiore.”

”What are you trying to say?” Erza asked.

”This forest is called the Oak Tree Forest. And this road we're walking on is taking us to the Plains of Eternity, and past that, we will find ourselves in the imperial city of Zephyrus.”

”Oh, great. We're in the enemy territory”, Sting said. ”I suggest we head back and figure out how to make the time gate relocate to somewhere else.”

”I agree”, Lector said, followed by Froche's usual 'Fro thinks so, too!' answer.

”I think we have to go to Zephyrus”, Lucy said. ”These time gates are always located in the parts of the timeline where something important is going to happen. I have a hunch that there's something we need to see in the city.”

”But you'll be in grave danger, Lucy, are you sure?” Erza asked, serious expression on her face.

”I'm sure that we must go there”, Lucy answered.

”I don't like the idea”, Natsu said.

”Me neither”, Theodore said. ”I mean, I'm sure I can handle Regina because I know all of her tricks but those other two... I don't know them at all.”

”Well, I know Lisanna won't go down without getting punched in the face a couple of times”, Natsu said.

”And Rogue probably tries to lure us into making a deal of some sort with him”, Gray mumbled.

”I know we're disagreeing –”, Lucy began.

”I'm not, actually”, Nora interrupted. ”If I get to kick Rogue's traitorous ass, I don't mind.”

”But a hunch tells me that we need to go there today. Something important is about to happen and we must be there to see it”, Lucy continued.

”I say let's just go”, Natsu said. ”Lucy says we need to go so we will. Or you can sit here and wait while me and Happy go with her.”

”No freaking way I'm gonna let you three go alone”, Nora said. ”How are you gonna survive against the little Miss Sociopath if she decides to kill her? I'm totally coming with you...”

”I'm coming too. If we end up getting imprisoned, I can talk to Regina”, Theodore said. ”Like I said, I know how to talk her into agreeing with me.”

”I say we shouldn't go but if you're really sure that this must be done, I have no choice but to come with you then”, Erza said. ”What about you, Gray?”

”I agree. We need to stick together, right? If we're divided, it would be easier for them to kill us.”

After following the road through the Oak Tree Forest, the group was finally able to see a glimpse of sunlight waiting for them in the distance which made Gray very happy. He was already starting to feel annoyed because of the darkness in the forest. Also, ever since he had heard that they were in the enemy territory, he had felt even more paranoid that there had been someone following their every move from the trees. He surely hoped that it wasn't the case, and that their stalker wouldn't go and tell Regina about their sightings. Gray was pretty sure that Regina would come up with something really evil.

Once the sunlight began to break through the wall of leaves closer to the exit, the group could see a very wide open plains in front of them. There were wild animals running without destination – some of them were just laying on the ground or drinking water from the river few meters away. The area was so wide and so... _beautiful_ that it surprised Gray completely. How was it possible that there was a place like this in the empire they all considered to be their enemy?

”This is the place I saw in the artefact's surface!” Lucy said, bringing Gray back to reality. ”That means I didn't really fail, haha.”

”But you totally did!” Happy teased her.

She shot a death glare at the blue Exceed who just grinned.

”Anyway, why is there a beautiful place like this in the enemy empire?” Erza asked.

”I'm not really sure”, Theodore said. ”When I lived in Zephyrus, this area was torn apart from the endless war with Fiore.”

”They probably stopped waging war at each other at some point”, Sting said. ”Which means we are many, many years in the future. Better not ask weird questions in the city then.”

Everyone nodded as a agreement, and they began to walk forward again on the road that would take them into the imperial city in the distance. Zephyrus was located next to the sea, on an island between two rivers that flew into the main land.

”No wonder I didn't recognize these areas”, Lucy mumbled as she went. ”Everything was so messed up when I came here...”

Natsu – on the other hand – had a look of amusement on his face. ”We walked through these damn plains when we were looking for you, Luce...”

”How can you tell?”

”Easily. I almost got eaten by a bear by that lake over there”, Natsu said, pointing towards a lake that one of the rivers was flowing into.

Gray remembered that situation well. It was hilarious because Natsu had just woken up and just wanted to drink water. The bear mother had thought he was going to attack her kids and chased Natsu for an hour before giving up – mostly because Happy eventually saved him.

”And I was broken in my cell in the city...” Lucy mumbled. Then she proceeded to take Natsu's hand into hers. ”We were so close. I wish I had ran away on that day, we could have gone home.”

”You're safe now and that's all that matters to me right now”, Natsu said.

_Say it, Flame Brain. That was your perfect moment to tell her how you feel, idiot,_ Gray thought but sighed when Natsu didn't say anything else – all he did was to hold Lucy's hand.

_This guy is so hopeless..._

After crossing the Plains of Eternity, the group arrived to the black front gates of imperial city Zephyrus. Gates were guarded by two imperial soldiers in their dark armor. They didn't seem to really care about who went in and who came out from the city which made it easier for Gray and others to enter. It felt really weird to walk on the main street of the city for two reasons – because it was a enemy territory, and also because Gray had never seen the city in such a glorious manner.

In 794X – before it had been destroyed by Regina – Zephyrus had been nothing but a forgotten pile of rubble by the sea in North Fiore. Back then Gray would have laughed if he had been told that one day he would be walking through the glorious city.

And more than that, it was hard to deny that this city was beautiful. True, it was very dark in colors, but there were a lot of decorations that made it less ugly. The main street, for example, was divided in two streets with a line of trees and flower bouquets in the middle. All the houses on both sides of the street also had a lot of flowers on their windowstills.

Group arrived to the main plaza of the city. It was a round shaped area. Main street kept going North towards the palace in the distance. Apart from that, there were also other streets that went to their own directions. Gray also noticed a statue of Regina standing in the middle of the plaza, surrounded by a water fountain. Gray was surprised when he noticed that the Regina in the statue actually looked very kind.

_She looks a bit like Lucy here,_ he thought.

”'For our immortal saviour, Empress Regina Heartfilia'”, Lucy read the silver plate at the bottom of the statue. ”'The one who saved us all'.”

”How –” Natsu began.

”Don't ask questions here. People will be sure that you're not Reanians”, Theodore said quietly, trying to avoid citizens' eyes.

Gray noticed that many people were actually looking at him, and whispering fiercely while doing so. Did these people actually recognize him!? But how? They were in the future, not in the past, right? How could these people recognize Theodore so easily?

”I think we should hide”, he said aloud. ”It looks like these people are able to recognize Theodore as their Emperor.”

”I'm afraid it's no use to hide anymore”, Theodore said. ”If I go into hiding, it would only convince them that I am, indeed, the one they think I am.”

”He does have a good point”, Lucy said. ”Besides, it's not like the word about our presence has reached Regina yet. None of the soldiers has tried to arrest us or anything.”

”And that crazy white haired bitch is nowhere in sight either”, Sting pointed out. ”I think we're fine for now.”

”Well, I think we should go to nearest Inn and eat”, Natsu said while massaging his stomach. ”I don't know about you guys but I'm hungry.”

”He also has a good point”, Lucy said. ”I feel hungry, too.”

”Inn it is then”, Erza decided for them and walked over to the nearest house which actually did have a nameplate hanging on the roof that said, 'Siren's Inn'.

Gray and others followed the redhead towards the house. Gray couldn't help but feel troubled. Even though they had come to a conclusion that they weren't in danger, somehow Gray still had that feeling of something bad was going to happen. Yet he still hoped that they would get out of this place in one piece.

But little did he know, that they had already been spotted by none other than Lisanna Strauss, who was watching them quietly from the shadows.

*******

It was such a boring day for Regina Heartfilia. Even though she had been a empress for a very long time, she still hated parts of this job. Like the moments when she had pretend that she actually loved all these people living in the castle. In all honesty she hated them all. They would all run away like pathetic little losers if she showed them her true colors. She had also grown tired of these annoying speeches she had to make every time there was a celebration of some kind. Especially these talks of independence.

Yes, Reana was definitely free of Fiore's rule, which had been exactly what she had wanted but she definitely hated that sometimes.

And then there was that one thing that was always on her mind – Theodore Darcas. She did still hate him for what he had done to her but she had noticed that he was – and would always be – her biggest weakness. She would actually laugh at herself sometimes when she thought that she was actually worried about him. She definitely shouldn't be. He had what was coming to him and that's it.

_I have to make sure that nobody finds out about this weakness of mine. They would only try to take Reana away from me,_ Regina thought as she walked in a circle in her room.

There was a knock on the door. Regina snapped her fingers and the doors opened. It was Lisanna, and she looked victoriously evil and murderous at the same time.

”Master”, she said.

”What do you want now?” Regina asked.

Lisanna had been giving her suspicious requests for a while now and Regina wasn't sure why she was behaving like that. It was like she had her own secrets that she didn't want to tell. But Regina would make her talk. She had her ways, and she always succeeded.

”I was just on my daily patrol when I spotted Lucy Heartfilia and her companions in the city”, Lisanna said. ”One of the companions was none other than Theodore Darcas.”

”I always knew Theodore would ally with cockroaches”, Regina said and smiled a bit. ”I think this is a perfect time for a little bit of a revenge on Lucy.”

”If it means that I'll get to kill them all, I'm ready for anything you request, Master.”

”No, we shouldn't kill them yet. We should lure her and the others into the room where that time gate appeared a week ago. She will definitely come here and then we can make her watch when we kill her companions.”

”I really like that plan, Master.”

”Good. Now, go make preparations for our little welcome feast. After that, make sure that she will definitely come.”

”How?”

”Love is a very powerful source of power, Lisanna”, Regina said, smiling evilly. ”And Lucy Heartfilia surely has a lot of it in her heart for a certain Dragon Slayer...”

The look on Lisanna's face was so evil when she disappeared into a swirl of black smoke that Regina furrowed her eyebrows.

Something was definitely wrong about that white haired girl – Regina just couldn't figure out what it was.

*******

After they had eaten – Natsu ate the most – the group just sat along with other customers in the parlour. It was a very big and very cozy room. There were sofas and upholstered chairs in the room. Sofas were located nearby the windows while the chairs were seated around white tables. In the other end of the room – on the right side from the entrance – there was a fireplace and above it there was a huge floating screen which Reanians called 'television'. Right now the screen was showing independence day celebrations from everywhere in the empire.

And those celebrations were exactly what Lucy and others had decided to use as their advantage. They were meant to pretend that they had just come to the capital city to celebrate the independence. It was a perfect excuse that nobody would question because Reanians were used to it.

”I wonder how far those two went though. They've been gone for hours”, Gray mumbled from his chair next to Erza, who was eating strawberry cake.

”I bet they ended up fighting and we end up paying for the damage”, Happy said.

”I hope they'll be able to control their temper because we barely have any money to begin with”, Erza said and cut another slice of the delicious cake between her and Gray.

”Are you sure we can even pay the hotel fees? Natsu eats like a horse and you're too much in love with that damn cake.”

”Don't even dare to tell me that I can't have my cake, Gray”, said Erza in a low voice that sent shivers go down everyone's spine.

But Lucy wasn't worried about that at all. She was way more worried of the fact that she could sense the time gate in the city. Not to mention the artefact key that was needed to open it. That wasn't even the worst thing about it because she had been expecting to find something time travel related things in this era as well. The real problem was that they were both located in the imperial palace of Zephyrus. Yes, the very heart of the evil empire. And Lucy was now very convinced that if the gate was there, so would the enemy be as well. After all, Lucy and others had been destroying paradoxes from previous parts of this timeline, and by doing that, they definitely messed up Regina's plans. If Regina found out that Lucy was in the city right now, she would use this chance for a revenge.

_I will tell everyone when Natsu and Sting returns, and they will definitely say no to this. But I can't help it – the only gate I can sense in this era is the one in the palace,_ the blonde thought.

”Lucy, why are you so quiet?” Happy, who sat next to her on the sofa, asked.

”I'm just thinking. Also, I'm feeling tired but I need to wait until Natsu and Sting comes back so I could tell everyone something”, Lucy answered and yawned.

”Or maybe you just want to curl yourself into Natsu's embrance!” Happy said. ”Because you _liiiiiike_ him, y'know?”

”You're getting really annoying, kitty”, Lucy threatened.

”You're not even denying it!” Happy exclaimed victoriously. ”I'm gonna tell Natsu when he comes back~”

”Oh, but your precious Natsu isn't going to come back”, said a voice in the room, and then a swirl of black smoke appeared in front of the sofa.

Even the Reanians in the room turned to look how Lisanna Strauss emerged from the smoke, having a evil smirk plastered on her damned face. Lucy couldn't help but feel angry when the white haired woman looked at her like that – with so much arrogance, satisfaction and amusement! It really annoyed Lucy! Way more than she wanted to admit!

”What do you mean, 'Natsu isn't going to come back'?” asked Gray, who had shot up on his feet the moment Lisanna's voice had spoken to them.

”Well, let's just say that it's time to play with the boys. _Both of them_ ”, Lisanna said, as she turned to look at Nora, who now looked horrified.

”Yes, Warrior, I have taken both Natsu Dragneel and Sting Eucliffe to the palace”, Lisanna said. ”Of course, I would have wanted to kill them both on the spot but Master Regina has other plans for them. But once she's done with hers, my little game will begin...” she added as she took out a small familiar looking glass bottle from her pocket.

”That's –” Lucy began, her insides freezing up in horror. Not this again!

”Correct”, Lisanna said. ”Memory Loss Potion. I should really thank you people. Because you made the Clock of Time move forward again, I was able to travel back in time to the real 791X and get this bottle from my stash.”

”You're not using that on my Sting, bitch!” Nora yelled as she stood up. ”We're going to settle this. Right here, right now and you will die!”

Lisanna laughed mockingly. ”Oh, you're so cute when you threat me like that, Nora. Did you actually think that I'll be scared? You're so pathetic. Also, you would be lying dead on the floor in a matter of seconds.”

”Hey! Take your disagreements outside, you two!” innkeeper yelled from the entrance hall.

”There's no need”, Lisanna told him. ”I was just about to leave. I just wanted to tell these people that they stepped into the wrong city this time.”

”You're not going to get away with this”, Erza told her as she put her sword away.

”And you will all die before this ends”, Lisanna spat and grinned. ”After all, I got this little bottle. I better go get ready for the game. If you want to see how I make Natsu and Sting my slaves, come to the palace. I'm sure you'll enjoy the little ceremony of betrayal...” she added and disappeared into a swirl of black smoke.

”We need to go save them!” Lucy said at once, not caring if their cover had been blown and every Reanian in the room was now convinced that Lucy and others were outsiders. ”If she succeeds, we can't fix it this time without going back in time...”

”That white haired woman is a sociopath”, Lector said. ”Why is she like that? Wasn't she a part of Fairy Tail at some point?”

”She was, but she messed things up by allying with Regina and now she's gone so deep into darkness we probably have no way to end it”, Gray answered. ”But Lucy is right. We gotta go save them before it's too late.”

”There's also another reason why we need to go to the palace”, Lucy said. ”Time gate and the artefact are located there.”

”Well, that's just great. We have to save Natsu and Sting and then find a gate and its key from a place I'm not eagerly going into.”

”I know a way to sneak in”, Theodore said as he came into the room. He had a very serious look on his face. ”I heard the whole discussion. We should leave right away so we'll succeed.”

”Let's do that”, Erza agreed as she put down the plate that had a piece of cake on it.

*******

When Sting finally regained his conciousness, the first thing he noticed was that he wasn't at Siren's Inn anymore. The room he was in made him think of a old, dusty gothic mansion – everything was covered in dust and it was like as if this room hadn't been used for anything for a very, very long time. Even the air smelt old and felt heavy. Actually, Sting had a bit of hard time to breathe at the moment.

_Okay, so what did I do before I got here?_ Sting thought as he got up from the floor and cleaned himself up. He remembered that in the Siren's Inn Natsu had approached him and had asked him to come along outside so they could talk.

” _Why do you want to chat with me when you're more closer with your other friends?” Sting had asked when Natsu had told him to have a chat with him. Sting was a bit annoyed by the interruption because he had been trying to seduce Nora to sleep with him again but then Natsu had interrupted them when he was about to win the flirting game._

” _I can't tell these things to them. You're the one who's basically dating a replica of Luce”, Natsu told him._

” _Oh, you want to know if Lucy likes you”, Nora understood at once. She smiled and stood up. ”Sting, I'll join you later. I think this guy needs a little bit of help right now...”_

” _Nora, you traitor!” Sting complained. Then he sighed._

” _Well then, we better do this talk then”, he added and stood up as well. ”Let's go outside. They won't interrupt us there.”_

_Natsu nodded and the boys went outside where the citizens of the city were getting ready for the independence day celebrations that had been scheduled for the evening. Everyone was running everywhere, and the lines in the shops were so long that people were partially waiting outside for their turn to pay their items. It was crazy!_

” _So, what did you want to talk about?” Sting asked._

” _It's about Lucy. I really love her but I have no idea how to tell her”, Natsu said._

” _Oh, so you think that because I'm with Nora who is a part of Lucy, I might be a better help to you than Erza or Gray?” Sting realized. ”Well, I can say for sure that these two girls are pretty much exact opposites of one another. They're like identical twins but with opposite personalities. Lucy is the sweeter one while Nora is the tough girl with a soft edge.”_

” _That doesn't help me much, Sting, but thank you for the analysis.”_

” _No, what I mean is that I can't tell what to do with Lucy because I don't know her well enough but let me say this – the way she looks at you and the way she behaves around you pretty much says all you need to know. She may have not acknowledged it yet but I'm pretty sure that she does love you too”, Sting clarified._

_Natsu was quiet for a moment. ”I think you're right. She always has that certain type of look in her eyes when we talk. Thanks dude, I think I'll figure this out easily now...”_

” _Oh, I can help you figure something out, too, Dragneel”, said a female voice in the air before both Natsu and Sting were covered in black smoke that was so thick it made them both go breathless._

_The last thing Sting saw was pair of orange eyes looking at him and Natsu with a victorious look in them._

_Then Sting lost consciousness completely._

And now he found himself in a dusty old room without no idea of where he actually was. One thing had been sure though – he and Natsu had been kidnapped by Lisanna Strauss. Sting couldn't tell him it had been her own plan or if Regina had told her to do so. Actually, he didn't really care. All he wanted to do now was to escape as fast as he could. Being a prisoner in the enemy headquarters was never a good sign and Sting definitely had a hunch that something was going to happen soon.

”Where are we...?” said Natsu's quiet voice from the floor where he had been laying. ”Oh, my head's spinning. What happened, Sting?”

”Lisanna kidnapped us and I have no idea where we are.”

Natsu growled. ”She's ruining everything no matter what year it is!”

”Yeah, and knowing her, she probably went to mock Lucy and others afterwards.”

Natsu stood up and stretched. ”Well, we have to get out of here... wait, why in the hell is there a time gate in this room!?”

Sting turned around.

Natsu was right.

There it was, next to the window. Sting hadn't noticed it at first because it was so dark. The crystal in the middle of the structure was now glowing faintly, which was why Natsu had been able to see it.

”If that thing is glowing like that, it can only mean one thing”, he said.

Natsu nodded. ”They're already on their way here.”

*******

Natsu was nervous. He had no way out, and no way to warn Lucy to stay away from the palace at all costs. It made him feel really sad as he watched how the time gate began to glow stronger and stronger – because it reacted to Lucy's presence and helped her to find it. But this was definitely the first time Natsu had hoped that the connection between Lucy and the gates would go offline. She had absolutely no idea what sort of danger she was putting herself into! Natsu knew very well that he won't be able to live with himself if Lucy got killed now. Maybe not by Regina – it did seem like she wasn't very eager to kill the blonde – but by Lisanna. Natsu knew that Lisanna didn't like Lucy, and now under the influence of darkness, those feelings were even stronger.

”Damn, this door can't be opened from this side!” Sting said and ran to the other end of the room where the time gate stood and tried to open the window instead. It didn't work at all. ”Damnit, there's no way out...” he sighed.

”You actually thought that I'll let you out just like that?” said Lisanna's voice and the white haired woman appeared from a swirl of black smoke.

She was holding a small glass bottle in her left hand. ”No, I need you for my own plans and also for the little game I wanna play with you. It's called 'The Seeress Hunt'.”

”You think we're gonna kill Luce for you? In your dreams!” Natsu said.

”Of course you say that now but once you've taken Memory Loss Potion, you'll do anything for me”, Lisanna said.

”I will NEVER drink that shit again”, Natsu said.

”But you will. You have to because otherwise I'll kill Lucy and make you watch it very closely”, Lisanna spoke as she opened the bottle in her hand. ”Now, be a good boy and take this...”

A swirl of golden smoke appeared right in front of Natsu. Then, someone emerged from the smoke and proceeded to kick Lisanna into her stomach with so much power that the white haired woman fell on her knees. Memory Loss Potion bottle fell to the floor as well and broke into pieces.

”Natsu! Please be alright!” said another voice from the smoke and before Natsu even knew who it was, this person was kissing him. It was only when he smelt the familiar scent of the girl he loved most in the world he recognized this person to be Lucy.

”You may have won this round, but the next time you won't be so lucky”, Lisanna said as she disappeared into a swirl of black smoke. ”Sooner or later you will lose!”

Natsu and Lucy broke apart from their kiss. ”She didn't make you drink the potion, did she?” Lucy asked at once, worried and panicked look in her eyes.

”Don't worry, Luce. You and Nora were just in time”, he said and pulled her into a hug.

She sighed in relief and hugged him back.

”I was so scared that we'd be late... I don't ever want to go through that again...” blonde mumbled but Natsu could hear her easily.

”I will never let her turn me into a slave again, you know that.”

”Hey, lovebirds”, Nora interrupted their moment. ”I know you're in the need to hold each other like your lives depended on it but I suggest we run the fuck away from here now.”

”What about the others?” Sting asked.

”They're probably in the safe place already.”

”Not quite”, said a new voice.

There was another swirl of black smoke, this time it was bigger, and the one who emerged from the smoke was definitely the one person they did not wish to see – Regina Heartfilia herself!

”The rest of your little group of peasants have been caught and taken to the dungeon, which is a perfect place for rats such as yourselves.”

As she spoke, a small group of Soulless appeared and surrounded them. Regina only smiled victoriously, and said, ”Looks like my little plan to catch you worked perfectly.”

”What are you going to do to us?” Lucy asked.

”It's time for you to stop doing what you're doing and just accept your fate. You and your friends lost the moment I used Horologium Saeculum and I won”, Regina explained. ”This time I will make sure that you will, indeed, die.”

She snapped her fingers and the darkness covered Natsu, Lucy, Nora and Sting – and again, it suffocated them to the point where they lost their consciousness.

*******

The dungeon underneath Zephyrus' imperial palace was a very dark place. It was also very old judging by the lack of proper light – only dimly lit torches were used. Dungeon was also made of stone. Floor, walls and the roof were all made of it. And because the dungeon was located underground, it was also a very cold place. Not to mention how terrible the conditions for the prisoners really were. They were forced to sleep on the cold floor which often resulted in them getting so sick they would die in a matter of days. Prisoners were never allowed to get out which was how most of them eventually went crazy.

After being imprisoned for a while – and after many failed escape attempts – Erza came to a conclusion that she had underestimated Regina Heartfilia and her minions completely. They had definitely made it impossible for anyone to use magic in this dungeon which was something she hadn't even thought about. And after admitting it to herself, she had hoped that Gajeel had been there with them. He would have been able to eat the metal lock and they could have ran away. But now all they could do was to let Nora try to open the door with a hairpin but it was no use. It was time to admit that Reanians were a lot more smarter when it came to these type of things. In Fiore, they could have ran away from a prison so much more easier.

”No!” Nora yelled as her hairpin broke in half. ”I thought I was going to succeed...”

”It's okay, Nora”, Erza said. ”We'll just try to steal the keys or we'll tackle the soldiers when they bring us food next time.”

Nora sighed and nodded, and then stood up from the stone floor. ”It would be so much easier if we had known that the whole thing in the palace had been a trap.”

”I would have informed you if I had telepathy skill”, Natsu told them. He was sitting in the next cell with Lucy, who had been awfully quiet for the past few hours. Erza was pretty sure that something had happened between them because they seemed to be closer than ever before.

A door opened in the far end of the corridor that had cells on both sides of it and everyone could hear echoes of footsteps. Soon the person came into view – it was Lisanna. Erza gave everyone a sign to get ready. If they attacked her together, they might have a chance to surprise the white haired demon and then run away. But Lisanna didn't seem to be there to kill anyone this time. She only rolled her eyes at the people in Erza's cell and walked over to the next one. Her expression was full of disapproval when she took out the keys and opened the door.

”Theodore Darcas, you're coming with me”, she said.

”Why would I do that unless it is Regina herself who requires my presence?” Theodore questioned.

”Stop questioning me, idiot, I'm going to take you with me you liked it or not. Or maybe you'd like me to play a bit with Lucy's face? I do have a knife here with me. I'd love to redecorate that ugly face of hers...”

_This Lisanna isn't the one I remember. I was kinda hoping that there might still be a glimpse of real Lisanna somewhere but there isn't,_ Erza thought.

”Fine, I'll come with you then and you'll stay away from Lucy and others”, Theodore told Lisanna. ”If I ever hear that you've harmed them, I will make you pay.”

”What a cute little threat. I'm starting to understand why she loved you. You must have been just as evil as she really is”, Lisanna snapped back as Theodore exited his cell.

Theodore just looked at her with a look of dislike and walked away, towards the door that Lisanna had used. White haired woman had a emotionless look on his face as she locked the door again. Of course, she then did look at Lucy and a smirk of pure evil appeared. Then she just walked away without saying a word.

”She has a plan”, Nora whispered as the door in the distance closed. ”Lucy will get hurt if we don't get out soon.”

”We need to believe in Theodore”, Lucy said. ”He knows Regina. I'm sure he can do something.”

”I hope you're right, Lucy”, Erza mumbled.

*******

Theodore couldn't believe he had finally returned to where he belonged. This palace was his home. It was nice to see that Regina hadn't changed anything. Everything was exactly as it should be from the decorations to colorings. He couldn't help but feel home although he was pretty sure that letting him out from the prison had a different meaning. Of course, he was going to use this as a chance to make Regina see the light again. He had succeeded once before. Why would he fail this time?

Once he reached the room where he knew Regina would be, he turned around to face Lisanna, who had been following him quietly but making sure that he wouldn't escape.

”You're not coming to this room. What me and Regina are going to discuss about is none of your business”, he told her.

”Pfft, as if I'm going to listen to what you have to say. Or leave Regina alone into the same room with you for that matter. Last time that happened, you basically killed her”, Lisanna said in a mocking tone and smiled. ”Oh yeah, I forgot that you didn't do it yet – but you would. That's the type of evil you are. A traitorous lover.”

”I'm pretty sure that I wasn't doing it on purpose. Right now, I'm not even interested in anything you say. I'm going into this room alone and you'll leave us alone”, Theodore said smiling. He didn't like this white haired woman. She was so suspicious looking all the time. Like someone who would betray their master at the right moment.

”Fine then, but if you kill her, I'll make sure that Lucy and her annoying friends will die the most horrific way imaginable”, Lisanna said and disappeared into a swirl of black smoke.  
Theodore snorted mockingly.

_If you think you'll be able to get away with that plan, you're wrong, little girl_ , he thought as he knocked on the brown wooden door.

The doors opened and Theodore walked into the familiar room. It was Regina's main office where she took care of her daily business as the ruler of Reana. It was also the very same room where they had first met. Theodore was able to recognize it easily because since then he had spent a lot of time here trying to negotiate a good peace treaty that would allow both Reana and Fiore to exist side by side – and while working on that treaty, he had fallen in love with this woman whom so many Fioreans called a 'Queen of Darkness', but to him she was so much more than just an evil villain. Even now that he looked at the woman, he still saw the same Regina from the day they had met for the first time.

”Are you aware that the white haired minion of yours is a very traitorous creature?” Theodore said, causing Regina to look at him in disbelief.

”That's the way you greet your wife, Theodore? Call her most trusted supporter traitorous?” she asked, disbelief evident in her voice.

”I just thought you'd like to know what kind of a demon she actually is”, Theodore said as he sat down on one of the arm chairs in front of Regina's mahogany table.

”She's a very useful demon to me which is why I haven't erased her from existence yet although she has failed me many, many times”, Regina said, coldly.

Theodore smiled. ”This is almost exactly like the day when we first met. You were just as cold as you are now.”

”Don't remind me. You ruined all those good memories with betraying me like a Fiorean peasant would do.”

”And I still have no idea what this betrayal of mine actually is.”

”That's because all the evidence of my existence was destroyed afterwards because they were all so scared that someone might actually be able to do everything again.”

”Well then, my love, why don't you tell me what happened?” Theodore asked in a seductive voice he often had used on Regina.

”You think that's going to work on me this time?” Regina asked, with a hint of a smile on her lips.

”I was married with you for six years, I know it does. _Every. Single. Time.”_

Regina went silent for a moment and then got up from her chair. She then walked around the table and stopped in front of Theodore. The look in her eyes was suspicious.

”You're trying to seduce me into letting them out from my prison, aren't you?” she asked.

Theodore stood up as well. ”Yes, I am, and I think you'd like to let them out.”

”But I don't want to”, Regina whispered.

”Yes, you do, you just hate to admit that deep inside you're still good at heart”, Theodore said. ”You hate to admit that deep inside you're still the same Regina as you were before everything was destroyed.”

As he spoke, he could see many emotions in Regina's eyes. She had always been a person who's eyes told more than her expressions. Right now, she was feeling pain, sadness, anger and even longing. He knew right at that moment that this woman was about to break apart at any minute. And that's why Theodore did what he always did – pull Regina into a hug to calm her down. She didn't even struggle against him which made Theodore smile.

”I hate you”, Regina mumbled, sounding completely defeated.

”I know, but you needed this.”

”True, and that's why I hate you even more.”

”I love you too.”

But then their moment came crashing down as the warning sirens in the palace went off everywhere.

Theodore and Regina broke apart from their hug and the woman looked really, really angry. She snapped her fingers and a small swirl of black smoke appeared, revealing a black lacrima ball. She rose her hand a little bit and the ball rose as well. As Regina looked into it, her expression turned murderous.

”That little bitch will pay for this...” she said in a ice cold voice.

*******

As the sirens went off in the palace, Lucy and others were even more eager to get out from the dungeon they had been thrown into. But it was hard because the magic was prevented in this part of the palace so all they could do was to try to pick the locks with anything they could get their hands into. Lucy even tried her celestial spirit keys on the lock of hers and Natsu's cell to see if they could open it but it didn't work at all.

”Damnit, I wish I was Gajeel now!” Natsu said, and looked at the metal lock. Then he kneeled and took the lock into his mouth and tried to bite it.

”Natsu, what are you doing!?” Erza yelled.

”I'm desperate!” came the answer. ”Ew, metal taste is horrible. How can Gajeel eat this shit?”

”I wonder if this alarm thing is a normal thing in the palace. Maybe they're just testing them?” Gray wondered.

” _All civilians in the city and in the palace please move to the evacuation center immediately. I repeat. All civilians in the city and in the palace please move to the evacuation center immediately.”_

”This isn't good”, Sting said. ”This is bad, really bad.”

”Look out, Lucy!” Natsu yelled suddenly and pushed her away from the cell door.

Lucy stumbled and fell on the floor. She was just about to Lucy Kick Natsu but noticed that there were Soulless standing right on that very same spot she had stood only a moment ago. And when she looked around, she could also see that her friends in the other cell were surrounded by these black creatures. Natsu took few steps back as more Soulless came to their cell. Lucy got up to her feet and then stepped closer to him. The Soulless was coming closer and closer, forcing them all to back off towards the stone wall behind them. Lucy was scared that this was the end of their journey right there and then.

”I'm sorry I didn't tell you that I love you, Luce”, Natsu said quietly.

”I'm sorry that I couldn't see it myself and kept my love a secret from you too”, Lucy said.

And then there was a bright flash of light, than engulfed the whole dungeon, causing all Soulless to be destroyed. Their screams of pain were horrible to listen to. But luckily they were all gone soon afterwards and the dungeon became silent once more – minus the ongoing siren that was still on. But what had that light been? It had been so pure, so powerful! Had it been Sae, perhaps?

”If you were thinking if the one who saved you was the Goddess of Time, you're wrong. It was me, Rogue”, said a male voice from the corridor. Then, the owner of the voice walked to their cells and he opened both doors.

”Oh hell no”, Nora said at once. ”I'm not gonna do anything that requires your presence.”

”Then you can die alone in that cell, Warrior”, Rogue said coldly. ”You weren't a very nice customer anyway.”

”Lucy, he's after the Shadow Giant Artefact. Don't give it to him!”

”Oh, how did you realize I wanted my precious artefact back? You seem smarter than you show”, Rogue mocked her.

Nora drew out her weapon with anger evident in her eyes – and again, Lucy was able to feel it.

”Be careful, Warrior, you might accidentally destroy the Seeress.”

”Damn it!” Nora said when she noticed that she and Lucy were glowing in gold light again. ”I'm sorry, Lucy!”

”We really need to figure out how to destroy the connection between the two of you”, Erza said seriously. ”Also, Rogue, are you going to hurt us?”

”No, I'm not as murderous as Lisanna is. Are you coming with me or not?” Rogue said, raising his eyebrow. ”If you're so eager to die, I can leave you here too. I'm sure that Goddess of yours would be proud, Lucy.”

”No, we will come with you”, Lucy said firmly. ”No matter what happens, I'm leaving. I have seen what I came here to see and that's it.”

”I totally agree”, Natsu said. ”Lead the way, Rogue.”

Once they were guided out of the dungeon, they were able to see that the palace had fallen into complete chaos – everything was a mess, and there were a lot of things that had broken. Even some of the windows were destroyed. And when Lucy looked outside, she saw that the city was partially up in flames. And in the sky there were countless black airships going towards the mountains. What had happened to cause the whole city to evacuate? Had Fiore attacked them again? But for what reason?

”It wasn't a attack from Fiore”, Rogue said before she could even ask.

”Who was it then?” Natsu asked.

”I do not know yet. Master Regina does but she was so angry that I do have a hunch of who it really was.”

_So do I, and this suspicion also leads to that vision I had earlier about that city that was destroyed... I'm even more convinced now that I know who to blame,_ Lucy thought.

She didn't want to say anything aloud in case she would be wrong eventually and hoped that these things would clear up soon. She needed a clarification on this and fast. If her hunches were right, they would have to come up with a plan to stop that culprit and do it fast – maybe even form an alliance with Regina and Rogue to solve this? They would actually be useful.

After walking through the damaged corridors in the palace, Lucy and others – guided by Rogue – found themselves in the room where the time gate was located. Regina and Theodore were already there. What surprised Lucy the most was that Theodore was holding Regina in his arms and his expression was dead serious. It was like he had decided to put an end to all suffering that Regina had to go through.

”I brought them here”, Rogue informed Regina who broke out of the hug with Theodore.

”Wonderful”, Regina said. She turned her attention to Lucy, who could easily see that she wasn't as dark as she used to be. ”I will allow you to leave the city without killing you this time but only because I need to hunt down a traitor who stole my Soulless Army.”

”Alright”, Lucy said, and considered to tell her about her vision for a minute but something told her not to let Regina know about it just yet.

_It would be better if she figure it out herself,_ she thought quietly as she walked past the evil empress towards the gate. As she took the artefact into her hands, she was able to see a picture of a house somewhere in the future on a rainy day. She then put the artefact against the gate which began to open.

”I could stay here with you if you want, Regina”, Theodore said suddenly. ”I could help you.”

”No, I don't need your help. I can track that demon down myself”, Regina told him. ”But thank you anyways”, she added in a kinder tone.

”Okay then”, Theodore said and joined the rest of the group that was already stepping into the gate. Lucy followed him into the corridors of time and the gate closed behind them.

”So, were you able to get all lovey dovey with your wife?” Sting asked at once from Theodore. They were standing in the very familiar corridors of time.

”If you mean if I slept with her, no. The sirens ruined the mood completely”, man answered, and sounded disappointed.

”You know who the traitor is, don't you?” Lucy interrupted.

”Yes, I do. I saw what she did from the surveillance lacrima”, Theodore said.

_So I was right the whole time,_ blonde thought.

”If we are to encounter Lisanna again”, she said aloud, ”we must stop her at all costs. It's very important for the fate of our world. I have a hunch that if she succeeds in any of her evil plans, Sae may not be able to do what she has to do so we could all go home. Understood?”

Everyone nodded in agreement.


	20. A Forgotten Memory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I'm here with another new chapter for this story. This one is a dark one. I took a different spin on Lucy's mother's death for this story and this chapter is how it happens in the AU universe of Shattered, lol. 
> 
> I will post another chapter on next Monday, and it will be a dark one too.

_An abandoned mansion  
_ _Year: Unknown_

After walking through the corridors of time towards their next destination and after they had used the gate that was open in the other end of the long corridor, Lucy and the others arrived to a yard of a huge mansion. Because it was dark, and it was raining heavily, it wasn't very easy to see where they actually were. But one thing was sure – they needed shelter from this storm before they could investigate the area for possible paradoxes and also, they had stay on alert because Lisanna's whereabouts were unknown. Lucy had asked if Sae knew where she might be but the goddess had said she's somewhere hiding because she was unable to see her movements. It made Lucy pretty worried because she didn't have any offensive magic in her disposal as a Seeress. If Lisanna attacked, she would have to rely on others and she really hated it.

”Hey, what is this huge mansion anyway?” Gray asked, bringing Lucy out of her thoughts.

”I can't really say”, Erza said. ”But it looks abandoned.”

”We should be careful though”, Nora said. ”That crazy demon might be hiding here.”

”If she tries to harm Luce, there'll be consequences”, Natsu said fiercely. ”I'm so fed up with Lisanna now. Why can't she just let go and stay away?”

”I think the power she has has gone to her head”, Theodore said. ”She is very powerful, and she must be even more powerful now that she was able to steal the whole army of Soulless from Zephyrus.”

”Maybe she and Regina had disagreements and something happened?” Lector wondered.

While they kept talking about possibilities regarding Lisanna's betrayal, Lucy looked at the house in front of her. She couldn't figure out the colors but there was still something that made her feel like she was experiencing a deja vu. She just couldn't shake off the feeling that she had been here before.

Suddenly a lightning bolt flashed through the sky, followed by a loud rumbling noise. But the flash of light revealed why the house made her feel like she did – it was her own mansion. The one she had been living until she ran away from home. But why were Lucy and her companions here? Was there something important going on?

”Guys, this is my house”, she said aloud.

”Are you sure, Lucy?” Happy asked.

”Yes. When the lightning flashed, I recognized it.”

”Do you sense anything with that inner radar of yours?” Natsu asked.

Lucy shook her head. ”Nothing yet. But I think we should go inside and figure things out there. We might also find something that tells us why we're here.”

Everyone nodded, and they began to walk towards the front door of the mansion. The path there was in a horrible condition. The nature had started to reclaim the area as its own again as time had went by – which made Lucy wonder what year it was now exactly.

Once the group reached the front doors, and Lucy tried to open them, she was stopped by Erza and Nora, who only quietly shook their heads. Lucy understood the hint and took few steps back. Nora then proceeded to open the wooden door slowly. Then they looked inside the house. It was very dark in there as well. And way too dusty for Lucy's liking.

”I think we're good to go”, Erza said quietly, and stepped inside. Nora followed her. Then Lucy went in followed by everyone else. It was then when Lucy noticed that she was basically standing there, surrounded by her friends.

”Seriously?” she asked aloud. ”Damn, I need to ask Sae why she didn't give me offensive magic because this is ridiculous.”

”Don't say that, Lucy”, Natsu said. ”From what we've understood, you need to be protected because without you we'd be stuck in time with no way out.”

”And Natsu wants you to see him as your hero!” Happy exclaimed louder than he probably should have. A echo of his voice rang through the dark rooms of the mansion.

”Way to go, Happy”, Lector mocked him. ”If we get attacked by the enemy now, I'll make sure they'll eat you first.”

”It's ok”, Lucy laughed. ”I don't sense any danger in this place. But I really don't sense any time gates or artefacts either...”

”That's pretty odd”, Gray said.

”Maybe the time itself has been affected by what Lisanna did”, Nora said. ”You see, Sae told me that there are a lot of things that we shouldn't do in order to keep the Clock of Time moving forward. She told me that if someone does something at the wrong time, and at the wrong place, the Clock will stop moving.”

”So we may be experiencing another Time Clock issue”, Lucy said, crossing her arms on her chest. ”So... that means the only way we can get out is to wait for Sae to help us?”

”Yeah, that's the only thing we can do”, Nora confirmed. ”She will locate us eventually and come here.”

”Well, since we're gonna sit here and do nothing, I say we light up the fireplace in the living room and –” Natsu began, but once he took a step in the dark entrance hall, everything changed. Hall was suddenly filled with light and the darkness was gone.

”Oh, I think I walked into some sort of a distortion...” he said as he turned around surprised look on his face.

”This is a paradox”, Lucy said, feeling it with every cell of her body.

”The door is locked”, Gray informed. ”Good job, Flame Brain, now we're stuck here for good!”

”Stop blaming me, Ice Princess!”

”Shut up!” Erza yelled at them. ”Lucy, what should we do?”

”Solve the paradox. Then, hopefully... we'll find a exit...”, blonde answered as she looked at a smaller version of herself running through the entrance hall towards the living room with a excited look on her face and furrowed her eyebrows.

”Was that Little Lucy?” Natsu asked as the young girl disappeared somewhere into the room. And right at that moment the spacetime distortion disappeared as well, and the entrance hall turned into a dark, dusty place as it was these days.

”Yes, it was”, Lucy said. ”I don't know what this is, but I'm confident that this isn't supposed to happen...”

”We might find answers if we follow that girl then”, Sting said. ”Shall we go then?”

Lucy nodded, although something inside her told her that she shouldn't stay here. It just didn't feel right – and that surprised her. It was her own house after all. What could possibly happen here anyway? Lucy was sure that Lisanna hadn't followed them. If she had, blonde would sense the gate she used easily but there was nothing. Only the one Lucy had used to come to this place. So why did she feel like they shouldn't be here?

They followed Little Lucy to the living room that was located in the end of the right corridor. As Lucy walked through, she really started to hate the state this mansion was in. Why was it like this anyway? Had Lucy herself eventually decided that she didn't want to move back in and just left it there so as time went by, it got destroyed by the nature?

_I'm really angry at you, my past self. You should never do something like this to a house you love so much,_ Lucy thought as she noticed how some of the windows were broken and the rain came in and formed another pool of water on the floor. She also noticed mold and different types of vegetation on the furniture and on the floor. It was evident that this mansion was left here like this hundreds of years ago. There was no other excuse.

”I have a feeling that this place is actually a remnant of a alternate timeline”, Nora, who walked next to Lucy, said. ”Before I joined you guys, I was trying to fix the damage on other timelines that were in complete chaos. There were a lot of different sizes of Horologium Saeculum sucking everything in and throwing them all into the Maze of Time. This place could be what's left of them.”

”So we could also be lost in time”, Lucy concluded.

”But we need Sae to guide us out of here”, Nora said. ”Also, there's another thing you and I need to talk about.”

”What's that?”

”We will talk about it in private once we've gotten out of here. It's very important and it's been on my mind for a while now. But I don't want you to carry this on your shoulders too. You have already suffered so much”, Nora said and smiled. ”I will tell you once the time is right and Natsu isn't guarding you too eagerly...” she whispered.

”Oh, shut up”, Lucy said, blushing. ”He isn't guarding me!”

”Damn it!” Gray yelled when he stepped into the living room at the same moment and again, there was another flash of light, and the room changed from a dusty, dark one into a lively place that Lucy remembered so well from her past – it had always been a very bright room with the white walls, green carpets and brown furniture. She didn't notice Little Lucy anywhere in the room though.

” _We must save her no matter what the cost, Jude! You know they predicted that our daughter will be the last one to carry Regina's soul in hers. We need to extract her and destroy the soul before it's too late!”_

” _Layla, honey, the Shamans told us it would be dangerous to extract Regina's soul from Lucy's at this point. That dark soul has been carried by this family for centuries now. Even I carried it in my soul for a very long time and nothing happened. She'll be fine when the time comes.”_

”Those are my parents' voices!” Lucy said and ran into the room.

There she looked around fiercely, and then noticed them – Layla and Jude Heartfilia – having a intense discussion in the other end of the room. Jude was sitting on a sofa and Layla was walking in circles as she spoke with a troubled look on her face. Lucy wasn't surprised at all. If it was Regina who they were talking about, being worried was expected.

” _Aren't you worried even for a little bit, Jude? This is our daughter after all! What if something goes wrong and she ends up being possessed by that evil woman?” Layla pressed on. ”We need to get rid of Regina now that we still can, Jude. I'm going to ask Shamans to come here and see if they can help.”_

” _Layla, I'm worried about Lucy too, but I also think that you're overreacting a bit now. Regina can't hurt her in any way”, Jude tried to calm his wife down. ”We still have time. And there's still a possibility that after all these years the darkness in Regina has been erased and she isn't evil anymore. You know our daughter's soul is full of pure light, don't you?”_

_Layla sighed. ”I know that very well, Jude, but darkness is a very strong force. Even the most purest soul can fall into it...”_

” _When the time comes, we'll protect our daughter, Layla. We still have the scroll of Pure Light's Bless”, Jude said as he held his wife in his arms. ”It'll be fine, I promise.”_

” _It's just horrible to think that our little Lucy would have to face something like that...”_

” _She won't be alone when she does. We'll be with her.”_

Then the scene disappeared, and the room turned into a dark, dusty room where everything was in ruins. Lucy didn't know what to think. Her parents were aware of Regina Heartfilia the whole time but never told her about it? And there was even a prophecy of her return three hundred years later!? Why wasn't she told anything about this? If they had, Lucy would have been able to stop it earlier! She could have asked Fairy Tail's assistance the moment she joined the guild... Everything would have been avoided, and she would still be in Magnolia with her friends having fun and going on adventures on daily basis.

”Lucy, are you ok?” Erza asked gently.

”I need to know more about this”, Lucy just said quietly. ”I have to...”

”I think the Time itself wants you to know this”, Nora said. ”Look, Little Lucy appeared again.”

Lucy looked at the direction Nora was pointing at and she was right. Little Lucy was present again, but this time she was just standing in a doorway, looking at them. Then the little girl turned around and walked into the corridor which was then fulfilled with light and it changed at once.

”That girl...” Nora said. ”She has a very weird effect on this place. Don't you sense anything about her, Lucy?”

Lucy nodded. The moment they had locked eyes for a moment, Lucy had actually felt like this little girl held a long lost part of her with her. ”We need to follow her and figure this out”, blonde said.

They began following the little girl again – back into the entrance hall. This time Little Lucy was seen in the room on the left side of the front doors. She looked at Lucy and others for a moment and then disappeared into the room. Lucy and others followed her to that direction. And, again, once they stepped in, the pile rubble in the room disappeared and the place turned into a lively place. This was the another living room which was a little bit bigger than the other one. It was because the place had been used for Layla's weekly tea parties. Lucy had always loved them as a kid because nobody cared if she stole a cookie or two. After her mother had died, this room had never been used again. Actually, Lucy had been told not to even go there.

The room had similar setting as the other living room but it had less furniture in – there were no sofas or bookshelves in. There were only several white tables, and chairs. And against the walls there were side tables for the treats in the parties.

But in this particular moment, there was no parties held in the room – in the middle of it there was a group of people looking at a confused looking little girl who sat on a chair while a group of Shamans and her parents were looking at her.

” _Lucy is fine, Layla”, one of the Shamans said. ”She doesn't show any signs of Regina Heartfilia being awake. She is still a pure soul and I think that there is no need to be worried.”_

” _But could we just extract Regina's soul from Lucy's? I don't want her to go through with it when she's older. Now that Regina is weaker, it would be easier to destroy her, don't you think?” Layla said, trying to make Shamans understand what she wanted._

” _No, it would be even more devastating to her if we force Regina out of her. In worst scenario, your daughter's very soul could be shattered into pieces and she would be nothing but a lifeless shell after the procedure”, another Shaman said. ”We highly recommend that we wait and deal with Regina when the time that was mentioned in the prophecy arrives.”_

_Layla sighed and looked at her daughter sadly. ”I just don't want to lose her. I want her to live a happy life. She deserves it. But she's unable to do so because this menace is living inside her.”_

” _We do understand how you feel, Layla, but this is something that cannot be done.”_

” _Exactly. The wall that keeps Regina imprisoned in your daughter's soul has been built with magic power that is supposed to protect her. Regina can't destroy it because it has been enchanted only to break when Lucy is 24 years old”, third Shaman said._

” _I still think it would be best for her if Regina is extracted, and I'm going to try it myself if all you do is to come up with excuses to not to help me”, Layla said._

_Her eyes were full of determination even if she had tears in her eyes._

” _No, Layla, you shouldn't even think about that!” first Shaman said, looking horrified._

” _I will, and I will succeed!” Layla said. ”Come on, Lucy, let's go...”_

” _Layla, you have to think this through! It's going to be dangerous for you and your daughter!”_

” _I'll be fine. I'm a mother, and mothers survive anything”, Layla said as she walked out of the room with little Lucy who still had no idea who these weirdly clothed people actually were._

Once Layla and Little Lucy disappeared from the room, so did the whole scene as well. The room turned into a pile of rubble. The ceiling had fallen into the room a long time ago, and the rain was coming in from the hole, creating more pools of water everywhere. Again, all windows were broken and nature was slowly reclaiming the place as its own.

”I have a really bad feeling about this”, Lucy said.

”And I'm curious about how Shamans got involved in this in the first place”, Nora pointed out. ”Every time we end up finding something Regina related, Shamans are always mentioned.”

”I think you'll find those answers from 491X”, Theodore answered. ”Because as well as I understand these things, in the year you come from, Regina had been erased from the history and turned into a forbidden secret of some sort, right?”

”Yes, that's true”, Lucy said. ”Although my parents probably knew the whole story since we're related. It just angers me that I wasn't told before they died... We would have been able to stop all of this in time.”

”Luce, it's ok. We can still beat them up”, Natsu said. ”Didn't Sae tell us that beating Regina would fix the whole timeline?”

”How come are you able to sound so smart?” Lucy asked.

”I'm smarter than anyone of you thinks I am, Luce. You know I'm right. We still have time to fix this. First we'll kick Lisanna into a pulp and then – sorry Theo – hunt down Regina and do same to her. Timeline should be fixed then, right?”

”He does have a point”, Nora said and others murmured in agreement. ”But to do that, we need to solve this paradox. I think the story isn't over yet. Look over there”, she added and pointed towards another door which was located in the other end of the second living room. It was a black door, and the Little Lucy was looking at it while shaking with fear. Older Lucy also looked at the door feeling the exact same thing. Something had happened there. Something terrible and dark – but because Lucy wanted to know the ending of this story, she went over the door and put her hand on the door handle.

”Are you sure, Real One?” Little Lucy asked. ”What happens in that room is a nightmare...”

”I'll be fine, Little Lucy. Show me what's in here. I need my answers”, Lucy answered and smiled, and offered her hand to the little girl – noticing that they both shone in golden light – and she took it. Then older Lucy opened the door.

It was a dark chapel looking room. In the middle of the room there was a magic circle engraved on the stone floor. Parts of the walls had collapsed years ago. Lucy was only sure that she had never ever seen this part of the mansion before. She had no memory of this room. Little Lucy entered the room while holding her older version's hand and again, just like every other time, there was a flash of light. Room became a dimly lit place, and there were only two human beings there – Lucy and her mother Layla. Lucy was laying in the center of the magic circle while Layla was enchanting something in a language older Lucy couldn't recognize.

” _Mom, it hurts!” Lucy yelled while laying on the floor._

_Why was this necessary? What had she done to go through something so painful anyway!? It was so unfair! Her chest felt like it was on fire, and she could even hear someone's mocking laugh inside her mind. But who was the one laughing? And why did that person even do so? Lucy didn't understand at all._

” _Mom, please, stop... It hurts so much...” Lucy whispered._

_Pain was so excruciating that she was already losing conscience when her mother finally noticed what was happening and stopped enchanting those stupid spells of hers. She got to her feet and ran to her._

” _Lucy, I'm sorry”, Layla said as she took Lucy into her arms. ”I know it hurts but it has to be done to keep everyone safe in this world. If we don't do this, things will get worse sooner or later. Do you understand?”_

” _I do understand, mom”, Lucy whispered. ”But it still hurts so much...”_

” _The pain will go away once I'm done. I promise”, Layla said and kissed her daughter on the forehead. ”You're so brave, Lucy...”_

_Few weeks later, on July 7, in 777X Layla decided to try the extraction spell once more. This would be the last attempt. If she didn't succeed now, she would let it be and never do anything so painful to her daughter again. She did feel pain in her heart as she had to listen to Lucy's screams but she was also determined to try to get Regina Heartfilia out of her daughter's soul. That woman should have been killed ages ago and Layla thought she'd be doing everyone a huge favor if she did it herself before it was too late._

_While Layla was determined to succeed in exorcism, Lucy felt even more excruciating pain in her chest. Her very soul was objecting this, but she couldn't do nothing but scream and cry at the same time. She wished that this would end soon, and then everything would be alright again. Then the mocking laughter that Lucy always heard in this room would also – hopefully – disappear. Lucy didn't want to listen to it anymore. That voice was evil._

_And then, suddenly, Lucy felt something so painful in her chest that it paralyzed her. She was unable to do anything else but look at how the dark smoke rose from her own chest and took a form of a woman with black hair and dark blue eyes. She had a victorious smile on her lips as she looked at Lucy, who couldn't even speak._

” _I am not going to come out from this prison until it's the right time, Layla Heartfilia, you are a fool if you thought so”, said the evil woman before she snapped her fingers and a sharp crystal icicle appeared._

” _You stay out of my daughter's soul, monster!” Layla said and took one of her keys into her hand. ”I will defeat you!”_

” _Not today you won't”, evil woman said and then she swung her hand and the icicle flew right through Layla Heartfilia's heart, killing her instantly._

_Then the evil woman turned into dark smoke and flew into Lucy's chest once more._

_And Lucy couldn't do nothing but watch how her mother fell onto the stone floor dead._

_Right at that moment the door to the chapel opened, and Jude Heartfilia stood there, looking at the scene with a horrified look on his face. Once he noticed that Layla was laying in a pool of her own blood, he ran to her at once._

” _Layla... what did you do...? I told you not to go through with this...” Jude murmured, tears in his eyes. He then approached Lucy. ”Lucy...? Are you alive? Please be alive...”_

_Lucy didn't react to his voice._

_She just laid on the floor her eyes wide open but no life in them..._

The scene disappeared into a flash of light. Lucy fell on her knees to the floor, horrified. Her mother had actually tried to extract Regina's soul from Lucy's soul and succeeded!? And then Regina had just killed her with no signs of gratitude or anything? She just killed her and then went back to her prison!?

”There's one more memory left before the paradox is solved, Real One”, Little Lucy said, while she still held her older counterpart's hand. ”I have to rejoin the other pieces of your soul”, she added once Lucy looked at her.

She nodded and they hugged each other. A bright golden light flashed, and Lucy and others were suddenly standing in a white room. There was just one bed there where ten year old Lucy was lying. Next to her bed was sitting Jude Heartfilia wearing black.

_When Lucy finally woke up, a whole month had passed by. Lucy's mother had been buried, and the gravestone was placed into the yard of Heartfilia mansion. Lucy was heartbroken when she had been told about it. She would have wanted say goodbyes to her!_

” _Lucy, how much do you remember of what happened in the chapel?” her father asked quietly, looking very serious. ”It's very important that you tell me what exactly happened.”_

” _It wasn't me, dad”, Lucy said at once. ”It was that evil woman who came out of my chest...”_

_Jude sighed. ”I was afraid that you might say that, Lucy”, he then took Lucy's hand into his. ”I know it wasn't you. I don't blame you. I know all about that woman who is imprisoned into your soul. There is a reason behind it, and there will be a day when she will come out for good. That's when we all need to be prepared but until then, you have to forget she exists.”_

” _But dad, I don't understand any of this... Why did mom do what she did?”_

” _She was determined to save your life. She loved you so much, Lucy. Don't worry, the people who will help you will not touch any of your memories of Layla. Only what happened in July 7 th will be modified”, Jude said, smiling sadly. ”We will have to live on, Lucy. Your mother would have wanted us to do so.”_

_Lucy nodded, as the door to the room opened and a group of people – Shamans – came in. Again, they were the weirdly dressed looking people Lucy had no idea of who they were._

” _Is your daughter ready, Jude?” asked the first Shaman while the other two began to prepare the room for something._

” _She is ready. But please don't erase the memories of Layla from her mind”, Jude said as he let go of Lucy. ”I'll be here, Lucy, don't worry. Everything's fine”, he added as Lucy began to object._

” _We will only modify the memories related to exorcism and Regina Heartfilia”, group's leader said. ”Also, Jude, your wife was able to create enough damage onto the shield around your daughter's soul that Regina can take telepathic contact to the people whose minds are in turmoil.”_

” _And because Layla did this, it has had its effect on this timeline we live in. We are now heading towards the worst possible future imaginable”, said another Shaman._

” _But we can still prevent Lucy from becoming Regina's slave, right?” Jude asked._

” _Yes. If we erase Regina's appearance and all the information about her from her mind. She will never be able to remember the events of the past few months unless she goes back in time.”_

” _And in that future that Goddess Sae predicted, she'll...?”_

” _We don't know for sure what will happen. Only the Goddess of Time knows these things”, first Shaman said. ”Now, it's time to do what we came here to do”, he added as he stepped closer to Lucy, who looked scared._

” _Don't worry, I won't hurt you, Lucy”, he said gently as he put his hand over Lucy's eyes._

_Then he began chanting in a language Lucy couldn't recognize._

_But as she listened to his voice, memories in her mind began to fade, change form and be reborn._

_The next time Little Lucy opened her eyes, she woke up from a dream where her mother was still alive._

A flash of golden light appeared, covering everything. When it faded away, Lucy and others stood in the ruins of Heartifia mansion. Everything was destroyed, there was nothing left. And in the middle of the ruins stood a violet colored crystal time gate which was locked. But Lucy didn't care about time gates or anything at that moment – the truth of what had happened was still too fresh in her memory.

_So that's how the shell around my soul was broken enough that Regina was able to possess Lisanna to do what she wanted..._ she could only think.

”Lucy, are you OK?” Gray asked.

”I'm so ashamed over this. My family causes nothing but problems... I wonder if we were like this when Time Mages' empire was still around...”

”Regina is the one who made the decision to mess up with the dark magic, Lucy”, Theodore said. ”You have no reason to be ashamed of yourself or our family.”

”He's right, Lucy. The one who really should be ashamed of herself is Regina, not you. You're the one who's trying to fix things while she tries to destroy everything we have”, Erza said. ”We still think of you as a friend too, Lucy. We aren't angry with you.”

”There is absolutely no need for despair, Lucy”, said a new voice.

Everyone turned to look at the time gate which was now open. Next to it stood the Goddess of Time herself in her usual white dress.

”You are trying to fix everything, aren't you? Your path is long and very hard to walk, but I believe in you. Why else would I have chosen you?”

”I don't know, Sae”, Lucy whispered.

”I did try to stop your mother countless of times”, Sae said. ”It was the only time I broke the Law of Time myself. The timeline was already very unstable because Regina's spirit was still alive and I tried to save it by telling your mother not to try anything but she didn't listen. I failed and the result was the tragedy that you just saw. If someone should be ashamed it should be me.”

”I can't blame you, Sae.”

”I told you this because I can't let you fall into despair. You are getting closer to the end of this journey, and you will succeed. No matter how much Lisanna's actions have changed the timeline, I believe that you will succeed.”

”But how can I keep going if I don't believe in myself anymore?” Lucy asked. ”I just want to stop walking and go cry into a corner.”

Sae smiled. ”If you don't believe in yourself, you have others who will do that for you”, she looked at her companions. ”These people wouldn't be here if they didn't believe in you, right?”

”She's right, Luce”, Natsu said. ”I would follow you anywhere and still believe in you even if we failed.”

”Also, we finally figured how Regina was able to possess Lisanna if your soul was meant to be a unbreakable prison for her”, Lector said.

Lucy smiled weakly. ”I guess you're right, everyone. I shouldn't feel like this but I just can't help it. I didn't know how brutal my mom's death really was...”

”I'm sure your mom would want you to continue”, Gray said.

_He's right. Mom would want me to continue on this path until I'll figure out how to destroy Regina,_ Lucy thought.

She took a deep breath. ”You're absolutely right, Gray. She would.”

”And now the real Luce is back again”, Natsu said grinning.

She returned the grin.

”Sae, where does this gate lead us?” she then asked from the smiling goddess.

”This gate leads you to the roots of all paradoxes on this timeline”, Sae said, looking at the gate for a moment. ”It's the last time paradox gate and it will lead you to the year 491X. However, this place is filled with spacetime distortions and they all must be fixed. However, fixing this will not solve the paradoxes that Lisanna's unexpected betrayal has caused. I don't know how exactly you should fix those but the most important thing right now is to fix 491X back to the way it was before Regina went there and forced Theodore out of there.”

”What about Regina? Will she also return to that year if we fix this paradox?” Lucy asked.

”No, Regina Heartfilia must be erased completely from this timeline so I can fix it permanently”, Sae said. ”Now, I suggest that you will step into this gate and leave this place.”

”We will do so”, Lucy said. ”Thank you for your help, Sae.”

Sae only smiled as she disappeared into a swirl of golden smoke.

”We should go too”, Lucy said. ”This place is a bit creepy because it's so quiet.”

”I thought you never say that”, Happy said and he flew into the gate.

Everyone followed him – even Lucy, who was still a little bit unsure of herself. Something also told her that something huge was about to happen...


	21. The Untold Story

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I'm back with another chapter for this story. This one will finally give details about Regina's and Theodore's story. I absolutely adore these two. Their story is one of my favorites ever. :D

_Imperial City of Zephyrus  
_ _Year: 491X_

When Lucy and others arrived to their destination in the year 491X, they weren't sure if they were in the right place – Zephyrus, which was supposed to be there, wasn't. Instead, there were only pieces of buildings, furniture and other materials that were just floating in the air. Place was also covered in white mist. Only things that were intact was the part of the street that still existed, and the front gate.

”Well, I think this will take time”, Natsu said, looking at the scenery before his eyes with a surprised look in them.

”I didn't expect this year being so messed up”, Lucy admitted.

She looked at Theodore. ”First of all, what did Regina and Lisanna do to you?”

”They appeared from a swirl of black smoke and pushed me into it, and then they said that they're going after the other Regina.”

”The one who lived in this year?”

”Yes. She was a lot kinder than this darker, colder Regina today. I was on my way to meet the king of Fiore when Regina and Lisanna appeared before me in 491X.”

”I see”, Lucy said and tapped her chin for a minute before she finally understood what was going on. ”This paradox was born because something that was supposed to happen never happened and then Regina from the future also took it even further by doing something that made this era collapse completely. That's how the Time Lock in 794X was born and now we're going to fix this timeline and it should have some sort of effect to the future we come from.”

”That's so complicated”, Natsu and Happy said.

”I have to warn you though”, Theodore hastily said. ”If we are going to fix this paradox, Regina will probably feel it in the future as well and she will come here to stop us.”

”If she comes and a battle begins, we can't stop it. After all, we are on a mission to defeat her so Sae can finally fix the timeline”, Lucy said.

Everyone nodded in agreement and the group took a step away from the time gate which closed at that same moment, and they began to walk forward on the remnants of what was once been Zephyrus' main street.

Suddenly out of nowhere a bright crystal appeared in front of Lucy. She jumped back a few times. She couldn't be sure if the crystal was a trap or not. After all, she had been imprisoned in Regina's castle so long that all kinds of traps were already familiar to her. Regina was the type of person who could hide her traps well enough so they surprised everyone.

_Although this crystal doesn't have that specific feeling on it..._ Lucy thought as she looked at the white crystal. So she found enough courage to go look at it closer. As she did, she also sensed something else – a new gate and a artefact somewhere in the paradox!

”Lucy, be careful”, Erza said. ”It might be dangerous.”

”I don't think so”, Lucy said. ”I can sense the time gate and the artefact from this crystal.”

”Well, there's only one way to find out if it's dangerous or not”, Natsu said and walked to the crystal. He then reached out and touched it.

”Ouch! It zapped me!” he cried while holding his right hand which had a red mark on it now.

”Let me try”, Lucy said, and she walked closer the crystal. She then put her hand on it.

And when she did, a bright light flashed and blinded them all for a moment.

When they opened their eyes again, they were standing in a dark room which was dimly lit. There was book shelves against the walls and in front of them there was a office table which was occupied by someone, who had dark hair and a dark dress on. She was writing something on the parchment in front of her with a quill. On the table there was a sword case, which Lucy immediately recognized as Theodore's.

”Wait a minute...” she whispered. She glanced at Theodore, who was looking at the scene with a smile on his face. ”What is this, Theo?” she asked.

But before he could even answer, there was another flash of light, and the events in the room went forward in a blink of an eye. This time, the woman sitting behind the office desk wasn't writing anything down. She was looking at someone with a mocking smile on her face.

”That's Regina”, Gray whispered.

”So the guy she's mocking must be Theodore”, Happy said quietly.

” _The peace between our nations is very important, your majesty. The king will agree on letting you have the areas you have already taken over but he also wishes that you would stop the war now. It's useless, and will not give Reana what it truly needs”, Theodore said._

_These talks had been going on for hours now, and he was already very tired. He had foolishly thought that it would be easy like with those other rebellion leaders but this one... this one was a tough one. But he couldn't afford to fail. He was considered to be the best negotiator in Fiore, and everyone was counting on him to succeed._

” _What makes you believe – again – that I will trust that midget you call a king?” Regina asked._

” _You are being very disrespectful towards him now, your majesty”, Theodore pointed out, noticing how hard it was really to keep his eyes away from this woman's face. Why was she so beautiful!?_

” _He never respected the poor. Why should I respect him in any way? He hasn't given me or any other poor family anything else but more and more issues and a horrific environment to try to survive at. I will not give up until I have saved everyone from that tyrant.”_

” _And how are you going to do that?”_

” _I have my Soulless Army. They do exactly what I tell them to do.”_

” _Until someone in Fiore finds out that there's a way to vanguish the darkness.”_

” _As if that's going to happen”, Regina snorted. ”You're only trying to make me change my mind on this by trying to scare me. As if that works. I have lived in fear most of my life, Theodore. Whatever that king does or says will have no effect on me.”_

” _These talks are not going anywhere”, Theodore said. ”I think –”_

” _I remember you”, Regina interrupted. ”I saw you wandering on the streets of Zephyrus and give bread to all poor families yet you still choose to work for the king. I don't understand why someone who has seen the despair in this city can still work for the family that caused it.”_

_Theodore fell silent. He was unable to say anything... because Regina was right. Why did he work with this king even though he had seen all the pain and suffering with his own eyes? Zephyrus was in a better state now than it had ever been under Fiore's rule._

” _You know perfectly well that I'm right”, Regina said. ”And because you have been helping these families, you are basically one of us. Why don't you leave Fiore and start a new life in Reana instead?”_

” _That's enough”, Theodore hastily said and stood up from the chair he had been sitting on and turned his back on Regina so she wouldn't see his expression._

” _I think you agree with everyone who thinks it would be better if the king didn't exist”, Regina went on, making Theodore feel even more uncomfortable._

_She was so right in everything she said._

_He had come to Zephyrus because he loved the city. It felt like home, and that was why he had always made sure that he could help the poor._

” _Hmm, I think I was absolutely right”, Regina said, amusement evident in her voice._

” _You are wrong, your majesty. I'm not going to leave Fiore and betray the king”, Theodore said which only made the beautiful Empress laugh. He turned around to glare her. Who did she think she was? She tried to turn him into one of her rebels!_

” _Well then”, Regina said and snapped her fingers._

_The sword case on the table rose to the air and flew slowly between the two of them. ”I want to give you this as a gift.”_

” _A gift?”_

” _I think that you're worthy enough to wield this sword. It's called Stormbringer. It's infused with wind lacrima so you'll be able to use air as your ally in battle.”_

” _Why are you giving this to me? Is this some sort of a bribe?”_

_Regina smiled. ”You will eventually leave Fiore for good, Theodore. It's only a matter of time. You can't stand that king. I can see it in your eyes.”_

” _I may not agree with the king, but I'm not going to betray him either, your majesty”, Theodore said as he grabbed Stormbringer without a thought and left the room._

” _If you're not going to betray your king, why did you take the sword?” Regina asked from the room in an amused tone._

The memory ended, and the room was engulfed in a bright, blinding light which made everyone to cover their eyes. When the group looked around again, they noticed they were standing next to the white crystal – which now laid in pieces on the pavement. Lucy also noticed that a huge part of Zephyrus had been fixed now. It looked a lot more familiar to her than the one she had been to in the year 875X. This older version of the city was the very same one she had been imprisoned in for months.

”So we're meant to follow yours and Regina's story through and the city gets fixed?” Sting asked Theodore, who nodded.

”You really had issues with her, didn't you?” Happy asked curiously. ”When it was evident that you _liiiiiiiiiiike_ her!”

”Happy!” Lucy scolded him. ”Don't tease him!”

”Who else can I tease now that you and Natsu are together then?”

”It's alright”, Theodore said. ”I don't mind him teasing me at all. Because he's right. I was attracted to her ever since I first saw her but I tried to deny it as best as I could. She was also right of me hating the king at the time. She saw right through me at once.”

”So she swept you off your feet and you still denied that you had developed feelings for her?” Gray asked.

”I know it sounds stupid but at the time I just couldn't afford my family name to be tarnished by having a relationship with the enemy's Empress”, Theodore explained and sighed. ”It would have been scandalous to say the least.”

”I think we should keep moving”, Nora – who was always holding Froche in her arms these days – interrupted. ”Theo, your story's really interesting and all but we can't forget our job.”

”You're absolutely right, Nora”, Theodore said. ”Lucy?”

”Let's move, people. I want this to be finished before Regina – if she actually notices this – appears. I want to find the time gate and the artefact as soon as possible so we can escape from her wrath. Something tells me that we are not meant to take her on yet.”

”Well that's boring”, Natsu said. ”I would have wanted to kick some ass.”

”I'm sure you'll get a chance sooner or later, Flame Brain”, Gray told him.

”Shut it, Ice Princess, I didn't ask your opinion.”

”Calm down, you two. We have more important things in our hands and you two are wasting time on picking on one another. Stop it”, Erza ordered them.

”Let's move then”, Natsu hastily said, grabbing Lucy's hand. ”Come on, Luce!”

Lucy almost stumbled when he dragged her with him.

”Natsu, she isn't going to kill you!” she cried.

”Maybe, maybe not”, Natsu said. ”But really, Luce, we haven't spent much time alone...”

”You want to do that now?!”

”Why not? Whoa!” Natsu said and jumped back a few steps – causing Lucy to crash right into his back.

”I think we should wait until we're done with this –” Lucy began, but was interrupted when another white crystal appeared in front of her from a flashing light.

It was then when she realized that the street had come to a dead end – path was now cut right before the main plaza. Lucy was able to see the palace standing in the distance, far away in the emptiness. It was surrounded in dark smoke. She also sensed that the time gate was in that direction.

_Now I only need to locate the artefact... I wonder where that might be?_ She thought as she looked around but was unable to sense anything. _Maybe it's somewhere in the palace?_

”Are you OK, Natsu-san?” Sting's voice yelled from behind them as the others caught up with them. ”I heard your shout with my magnificent hearing.”

”Stop being such a cocky asshole, Sting”, Nora scolded him.

”I'm fine”, Natsu said. ”We found another crystal.”

”So that's what scared you?” Happy scolded him. ”Your hero meter is going down, Natsu!”

”I don't need a meter to classify me as a hero”, Natsu shot back grin on his face.

_Why does Natsu look so cute with that grin on his face?_ Lucy wondered. _Also, what will happen to us once Sae fixes the timeline? Will we also forget that we're in love? I need to ask her about these things when I see her again,_ she added.

”Okay, before you'll start fighting, we have to concentrate on this”, she said aloud and reached out for the crystal in front of her.

As her hand touched the surface of the crystal, a bright, blinding light flashed and everyone had to cover their eyes. And when they uncovered them, they were standing in a bright round shaped room that had a round table in the middle of it. There were people sitting at it – Regina and Theodore were both present, but Lucy was unable to recognize anyone else.

_Another try at peace negotiations were held in Crocus few months after Regina had met Theodore for the first time. Ever since that day she had been unable to think of anything else but him and she hated it. It made her feel weak, and dependent on another human being - which was what she didn't want to be. Humans weren't kind unless you were successful and wealthy enough, that's what she had learned as a child. That's why she always did everything herself. The feelings of affection and love just disgusted Regina so much. They were what made humans so weak. And here she was, feeling exactly that for a man from an enemy kingdom._

_And what annoyed Regina even more was the midget king who refused to acknowledge the existence of Reanian Empire. To this little man, Tomas E. Fiore, all the areas that Regina had taken over in the North were still a part of Fiore. It made Regina wonder why she had even agreed to participate in this peace negotiations when it was more than clear that they would never come to any sort of agreement unless one of them died._

” _I will only allow you to stay alive if you give back all the areas you have taken over, woman”, Tomas said. ”Those areas in the North are important to Fiore's economy and I cannot allow you to hold onto them.”_

” _I will refuse to give those areas to you because you will only enslave all the people there. You are abusing everyone's civil rights by making their lives harder to live. I'm also one of those victims. But we Zephyrians are done with this. You may call it a rebellion, but this is a war for our freedom. And you will give it to us one way or another”, Regina said._

” _I'd rather destroy you and your rebellious peasants than give you any kind of freedom. In Fiore everyone has to do what they're born to do. You and your rebels are born to work in the mines and give the earnings to tax collectors because that's how this kingdom lives on. If you refuse to do your part, you must be punished”, Tomas mocked her. ”You will eventually lose this 'war', Regina. I'm going to do everything in my power to destroy you and this little 'empire' you call that area.”_

” _We'll see about that then”, Regina said as she stood up from her chair._

_She was starting to feel how her dark powers inside her began to react to her rising anger. This little man thought he could kill her and destroy the rebellion!? Not a chance!_

” _I'm going to take a break now, but I'm not done talking with you, midget”, she added in a mocking tone and exited the room._

” _I think you're being way too disrespectful towards the king”, said a voice behind her in the corridor. ”That sort of attitude you have will only end in another peace negotiations failure.”_

_Regina turned around to face him, and noticed that Theodore was carrying Stormbringer with him. She smiled. ”I see you are actually using the sword I gave you.”_

” _It is very useful”, Theodore admitted. ”But it doesn't mean I will betray this kingdom.”_

” _I still think that it's exactly what you secretly want”, Regina said slowly, and smiled as Theodore's calm expression turned into a very troubled one. Why did this man even fight against it? He knew that Fiore's king was a greedy bastard yet he still chose to stay by his side? To Regina it didn't make any sense._

” _You're way too worried about what your family might say”, she told him. ”You really shouldn't be. It's not their place to decide what you do with your life.”_

_Theodore looked at her for a while in complete silence, but then he just sighed and grabbed Regina's hand. He then guided the woman to a secret room behind a red wall cloth close to them. It was a small cozy looking room but it was also very dusty. There was a small table there that had old wine bottles on it._

” _You're absolutely right”, Theodore murmured, bringing Regina out of her thoughts. ”I don't know how you do it, but you have seen right through me.”_

” _So you do hate the midget king, but you can't tell him off because it will bring shame upon your family name?”_

” _It would be a scandal, Regina. I would be marked as a traitor... But I do love Zephyrus, too. It has always been the place I have wanted to live in.”_

” _Then you should just follow your own dreams and make them all true”, Regina said. ”My dream is to save all the poor from losing their rights to live.”_

” _And there's also another dream I'd like to make true”, Theodore murmured._

_As he spoke, he pulled Regina closer to him. ”I want you”, he whispered._

_Regina was surprised. This man actually felt the same towards her?_

” _Why?” she whispered._

” _I just feel like you and I belong together. I know, it's crazy. We barely even know each other but I just can't help but feel like you're my soulmate”, Theodore said smiling. ”And sadly, that would be even more scandalous than me just moving to Zephyrus. I'm supposed to support the king like the rest of my family but I just can't. And these feelings for you just makes everything worse.”_

” _Come with me to Zephyrus, Theo”, Regina said, now also smiling._ _She raised her hands and put them on the sides of Theodore's face. ”Because that's where you truly belong to.”_

_The look in Theodore's eyes said it all – he had already made his decision to leave Crocus._

” _Love surely makes humans make stupid things”, he just said as he pressed his lips on Regina's, who did not object it at all._

_Instead, she kissed him back with passion she had never thought she could feel – and she liked it._

Then the scene disappeared into a flash of bright, blinding light. Again, everyone covered their eyes and once they uncovered them, they were standing on the main street. This time – however – the main plaza was visible in front of them. Lucy was already able to see that another dead end was located on the other side of it.

”So Tomas E. Fiore didn't want to acknowledge Reana's existence?” Sting asked Theodore, who sighed.

”He was a very stubborn king indeed. I truly hated working for him”, he answered. ”It did become more enjoyable when I met Regina. Sure, she had mocked me for my choices but by doing that she actually made me think. I realized that I didn't want to stay in Crocus. I wanted to go with her, and it didn't matter where she would take me, I just wanted to be with her.”

”Oh no...” Froche said. ”Look!” he pointed up into the sky.

Lucy and others looked up.

They saw a flurry of black smoke flying towards the palace up ahead.

Lucy swallowed – she knew perfectly well who was in that black smoke.

”Oh no indeed”, Nora said. ”So, how shall we proceed, Lucy?”

”We will fix this no matter what happens. Time gate is located in the palace and there's no other way to get there”, Lucy said. ”Also, I'm interested to know what made Regina turn evil. In these flashbacks she haven't really been that evil.”

”Then we shall proceed with flashbacks”, Nora said.

”We should be careful”, Erza said, summoning a sword into her hand. ”We don't know what Regina will do.”

Everyone nodded in agreement as they began to walk forward through the deserted main plaza which looked exactly like it had in 875X. The only difference was that the statue they had seen wasn't in the middle of the fountain that was located in the centre of this plaza and all the citizens were gone as well. Lucy couldn't help but wonder where they had gone to.

A little while later Lucy and others reached the other end of the plaza, and found themselves looking at the buildings that were slowly circulating in the air over the pieces of the main street. Another white crystal was also waiting for Lucy where the street ended and she looked at others. They nodded in approval, and Lucy walked to it. She put her hand on the crystal, and as always, a bright, blinding light flashed.

When they uncovered their eyes again, they noticed they were standing on the main street of Crocus. It was very dark, so Lucy assumed that it was late at night. However, she did feel really restless here. When she looked around, she noticed how the area was filled with spacetime distortions.

_This must be the source of Regina's paradox timeline,_ she thought.

”Something's wrong here”, Nora said, looking around. ”Do you feel it, Lucy?”

Lucy nodded. ”This is the source of the paradox. We just need to figure what has gone wrong.”

_After being together for years, and finally getting married, Regina and Theodore were happy with the direction of their lives. They had both been really happy, and Regina had been able to get her darkness under control to the point where she didn't even need to use that power so much anymore._

_They even had a four year old daughter called Aurora. Even though Theodore's parents had originally disowned him for running away, they eventually changed their minds because they saw how happy Theodore actually was. Aurora's existence also made both families feel connected._

_Also, Reana and Fiore had finally been able to stop the devastating war, and even if Tomas E. Fiore hadn't officially acknowledged Reana as a independent nation, he allowed his kingdom to be in contact with it, which made Theodore feel relieved. Maybe things were finally taking a turn to the right direction._

_But that was before the letter came. It was addressed to him and sent by Tomas E. Fiore. Letter was a invitation to come to Merkurius Castle to meet up with him because there was something important that king wanted talk about. Both Regina and Theodore wondered what the invitation was really about, and by ignoring the bad hunches, Theodore left Zephyrus to travel to the South to his old hometown he had left from nearly six years ago._

_It was a cold evening in Crocus. Those kind of days were unusual at this time of the year. It was summer after all. But today had been a weird day. Everyone had been able to feel the sudden change. And not in the weather alone, but also in the atmosphere. Something had definitely happened – or more like, something was about to happen._

_But Theodore did not let those kind of things bother him. It wouldn't probably even be about him anyway. Probably all these weird things would happen to someone else. He was sure of it._

_And because he wasn't careful enough, he was caught off guard._

_As he turned around the corner to enter the main street of Crocus' royal city, something happened. A weird black hole appeared in front of him. It took Theodore by a surprise and he jumped back from it. Hole just stood there, as if it was waiting for him to enter. Of course, that would be nonsense._

_But then, something unbelievable happened – two women stepped out from the hole. Other one was white haired, orange eyed and was carrying a dangerous looking Javelin and the other was dressed up in a black dress and a hooded cloak. Hood covered her face._

Flashback before their eyes stopped, and they were able to see how the clouds in the sky began to form a familiar looking flurry of clouds. Not to mention how their surroundings began to change as well – everything began to crumble around them as the timeline began to collapse.

” _Lucy! Now!”_ Sae's voice snapped like a whip in her mind.

Lucy knew at once what she came here to do. It was like something had unlocked inside her.

”Step aside, everyone”, she told them as the gold magic circle appeared beneath her feet.

”What's happening, Luce?” Natsu asked.

”Step out of the magic circle, Natsu. I'll be fine”, Lucy told him and smiled as she began to shine in golden light. Natsu looked at her for a minute and then backed off. Lucy then turned her back on them and walked further away just in case. She then stopped walking and closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, she said, _”Restore!”_

The eruption of the golden light was so bright that it turned everything white. Lucy didn't know if others were alright, because she couldn't see anything else but flashing images before her eyes of the events that had truly happened in 491X. She just couldn't really figure out the order of those events because they went past so fast, but eventually it stopped. Then everything turned back to the flashback that had been ruined by Regina's and Lisanna's appearance. But this time neither of them appeared.

_It was a cold evening in Crocus. Those kind of days were unusual at this time of the year. It was summer after all. Theodore was pretty sure that the reason was the brewing thunderstorm over the sea. He only hoped that he would be able to catch the train back to Zephyrus before the storm began. He didn't really feel like staying in this city too long. After all, to most Fioreans, Theodore will always be a traitor and it didn't matter if her family had reowned him. That's why he had to be as careful as he could._

_Once Theodore reached the castle, he was taken to the king Tomas' throne room where the man sat on his black throne._

” _Theodore, I am glad that you came here to visit me”, Tomas said._

” _I was considering of declining your invitation but then we came to a conclusion that you probably aren't scheming against Reana this time”, Theodore answered._

” _I'm done scheming against that kingdom”, king said. ”There are other things to worry about.”_

” _Well, why am I here then?” Theodore asked, a bit surprised that Tomas wasn't trying to buy his faithfulness with something like he had done for two years after Theodore had left Crocus._

” _I have actually heard some disturbing news from Reana. It's about your wife and your daughter”, Tomas said. ”Yes, I do still have spies in your kingdom, Theodore”, he added when the other king raised his eyebrow at him._

” _I have heard rumors that your wife is planning a full attack on Fiore”, Tomas continued. ”And that she's planning to get your daughter involved in it, too... by turning her into one of those monsters she calls Soulless.”_

” _Regina would never do something like that!” Theodore shouted angrily. ”You need to check your sources because what you just said is impossible! Regina loves Aurora from the bottom of her heart, why would she hurt her!?”_

” _My sources are absolutely reliable. Besides, how can you be hundred percent sure that Regina – the one who calls herself the Queen of Darkness – will always be able to keep herself in control? How can you be sure that those powers won't eventually take over her again? If they will, you probably won't even be able to save your daughter.”_

_As Tomas spoke, Theodore couldn't help but really start to think about it. He did have a point. Regina's soul had been full of darkness for years before they had met, and even though their effect had finally gotten weaker, she could go over the edge again. Theodore had followed her struggles for years, and there had been moments when Regina had almost given up the battle, but she had always found enough fighting spirit to go through those days too._

_But he couldn't deny the fact that when it came to Regina and her dark magic, she could give in to it. Theodore knew her well enough. Regina loved her powerful magic. He couldn't be sure if she was secretly still using them as much as she could. He had often caught her up in the act and didn't want to see it again – he had witnessed how a Soulless was born – and that was the only time he had really seen her lose it and become evil. But it was possible. And if she began to plan on doing something to their daughter, Theodore would never be able to forgive her._

” _You're thinking about it, Theodore. You know very well that it's possible, don't you?” Tomas said, looking at him intently._

” _Fine, there may be a small chance that she might go over the edge but I will deal with her if that happens. I don't need your help, Tomas”, Theodore said as calmly as he could._

” _Oh, but you will need me. And you will want it once I tell you that there is a cure.”_

” _What?” Theodore couldn't believe it. There was a way to erase all the darkness from Regina's soul? He would pay anything to find a way to do that!_

” _Have you ever heard of a spell called 'Pure Light's Bless'?” Tomas asked, he took a small parchment scroll out of his pocket._

” _It's a ancient spell Time Mages often used to erase themselves from dark magic.”_

” _Why are you telling me this?” Theodore asked, looking at the scroll that could save his wife from dark magic. ”What do you want, Tomas?”_

” _To be honest, I want peace with our two nations. If I give this scroll to you, will you take it as a gift for peace? I wouldn't try to attack your kingdom and you wouldn't attack mine.”_

_Theodore didn't know what to say. He was too surprised._

” _Are you thinking of saying no, Theodore? Don't you want peace as well? This is the answer”, Tomas went on as he jumped off the throne with the scroll in his hand. He offered it to Theodore, who still felt unsure of if he should take it or not._

” _You're going to hold onto the peace treaty, Tomas?” he asked._

” _I will even sign the treaty in your and queen's presence”, Tomas promised at once. ”I will also formally acknowledge Reana's existence as a independent nation.”_

_Theodore didn't need anything else as a proof. He took the white scroll into his hands and put it into his jacket's inner pocket to keep it safe._

” _You only have to open the scroll and the spell will be activated”, Tomas explained._

” _Thank you, Tomas. You have no idea how happy this makes me. I have spent years trying to find a way to save Regina from the darkness”, Theodore said, smiling. ”I will take my leave now so I can tell these news to her.”_

_Tomas nodded. ”Have a good journey back home, my friend.”_

_But Theodore had no idea that he had been tricked into Tomas' evil plan to put an end to Reana's very existence._

_When he arrived Zephyrus the next day, he felt hopeful for the future. He was going to save his wife from herself and they would live happily ever after._

” _Pure Light's Bless, you say?” Regina asked once Theodore had told her about it. ”And Tomas gave it to you?” Her voice was full of disbelief._

” _I'm sorry, but something about this doesn't feel right, Theo", she said._

” _He also told me that you're going to turn Aurora into a Soulless”, Theodore said calmly._

_It had been really bugging him the whole way back. Could Regina actually be that evil that she'd turn their beloved daughter into a monster?_

” _Why would I turn Aurora into a Soulless?” Regina asked and laughed. ”I mean, my powers are so weak that I can barely even teleport anywhere anymore. And I really love it this way...”_

” _I really love it this way, too”, Theodore said and kissed her. ”But if something happened... Something really bad, would it push you over the edge?”_

_Regina was quiet for a moment and nodded. ”Yes, but only if I was going to lose you or Aurora or both of you, for example. I doubt I could make it without losing it.”_

” _In that case we have to decide what we'll do with this”, Theodore said, pointing at the white magic scroll in Regina's hands. She also looked it thoughtful look on her face._

” _You said this could erase every last bit of darkness from my soul, right?” she asked._

” _Well, that's what I was told but I'm not familiar with ancient magic”, Theodore answered._

” _I don't know, Theo, I've lived with these powers so long. I don't even remember what my magic was like when I was studying in the Academy...”_

” _This is just a idea. If you don't want to do it, I'm fine with it. We just have to pretend that we did so in Tomas' presence”, Theodore said and hugged her._

” _You've been hugging and kissing me all day”, Regina whispered._

” _I missed you, wife, that's why.”_

” _Show me how much you've missed me then”, she purred into his ear._

” _With pleasure.”_

_At midnight that night, Theodore was waken up by Regina who was in hysteric over something. He knew exactly what was going on the moment he opened his eyes – Regina's battle with her dark powers had begun again. But this time her hysteria was completely different. It was mixed with fear and guilt._

” _Regina, what happened?” Theodore asked as he held her close to him._

” _I sleepwalked into our daughter's room and I was about to do exactly what Tomas had said I would do!” Regina cried. ”I can't do this anymore...”_

_And so began the last few days of Reanian empire's existence – every day Theodore had to keep an eye on Regina, who began to behave more and more weirdly as time went by. But they both were hopeful that things would get better eventually. Regina had had these types of moments many times before in the past six years, and they had always gotten through them. But Theodore noticed that this time was different._

_Completely different._

” _I can't do this anymore, Theo”, Regina finally said on the evening of the third day of her Dark Week as they called it. ”I'm sick and tired of this battle...”_

” _Regina...” Theodore said and took her hand into his._

_Her skin was a lot colder than it used to be, and she had turned paler as well. She was exhausted, just like a sick person._

” _Don't tell me we'll get through this, Theo. We won't. This is different. Darkness is more powerful than ever before. I'm at my limit. I can't survive this. Use the scroll on me”, she whispered._

” _Are you sure?” Theodore asked, not able to believe his ears. Regina was actually agreeing with him now?_

” _I don't want to live in the darkness again”, Regina said. ”This disease will consume me completely sooner or later and I don't want you or Aurora to see me giving in to it. Use the scroll. Cleanse my soul, Theo.”_

” _If you say so”, Theodore said and took the white scroll out of his pocket. ”I will ask you one more time though. Are you hundred percent sure that you want this?”_

” _I am. Please save me like you have always wanted, Theo”, Regina said, determination evident in her tone._

_Theodore nodded and stood up. He opened the scroll, and the white smoke flew out of it towards Regina, who let it cover herself up. But the smoke didn't stop there – it also flew out of the windows into the city. Theodore wasn't sure if it was supposed to do that but decided that he didn't care. If this spell worked and Regina would be saved, he wouldn't have to send Aurora to live with his parents in order to keep her safe from Regina's dark magic._

_A sudden, pain filled scream from Regina's throat brought Theodore out of his thoughts._

_He turned around to see his wife, who had a painful expression on her face. She had tears rolling down her cheeks._

” _Regina!” Theodore yelled and rushed by her side._

_He desperately tried to make the smoke go away but it just covered her again. He tried to pick her up from the bed but the smoke immediately began to swirl around her, causing even more pain. This wasn't what Theodore had wanted! Regina had suffered so much in her life already! She didn't deserve this..._

” _This spell doesn't save me”, Regina said quietly. ”It's going to erase me from existence. I should have known...”_

” _What? Regina, my love, tell me.”_

_But Regina didn't say anything._

_Instead, Theodore ended up becoming a witness of something else – a ball of darkness surrounded Regina, and it pushed the white smoke away. Then the ball made of pure darkness exploded, throwing Theodore into the wall on the other side of their bedroom._

” _Did that midget king tell you that this spell will only kill the ones who have fallen into darkness? Or did your inner Fiorean tell you that it would be right thing to do to just end my life?” Regina's voice was cold. Icy cold. There was no gentleness in it left. But neither was there barely anything left of the woman who Theodore loved most in this world – Regina was nothing but a spiritual creature, made of dark smoke. And her expression was murderous._

” _I will make sure that your dear friend Tomas E. Fiore will pay for this!” Regina said with so much hatred in her voice that it scared Theodore as well._

_And more than that, what had he done?_

_No, it was Tomas E. Fiore, who was to blame._

” _Regina...” Theodore began._

” _No, I'm not going to listen to anything you say!” Regina yelled. ”You betrayed me, Theodore!”_

” _Regina!” Theodore yelled but then he noticed the explosion in the city. His very insides became freezing cold as he saw the sea of flames consume the whole city in a matter of minutes._

_He stood up from the floor and ran into his daughter's room. Aurora was fast asleep in her bed when Theodore threw her blankets off and picked her up._

” _What's going on, father?” Aurora sleepily asked._

” _Everything's fine, dear. We just have to leave the castle. We'll go on a journey for a while, okay?”_

” _Okay, father.”_

_But at that moment the whole palace shook from the force of the pressure wave of the explosion. Theodore didn't know what to do as the walls began to crumble and fall apart around them. Aurora was crying and holding onto Theodore tightly._

_Was this the end?_

_He had successfully destroyed everything, and even killed his own wife... all because he had believed that Tomas E. Fiore had changed his ways!_

_He was a traitor like Regina had said, a puppet that was too easy to control._

_And then, everything went dark._

********

_The next time Theodore opened his eyes, it was quiet._

_What had happened?_

_He was sure that he wasn't in Zephyrus anymore, that's for sure. Everything around him looked so unfamiliar._

” _Good morning, Mr. Heartfilia”, said a calm voice from the doorway._

” _Where am I?”_

” _You're in Capa, which is the capital city of the Isla of Shamans. I am the Head Shaman”, man said. ”There is something important we have to discuss with you. It's about your daughter.”_

” _Is she alright? Did she survive? How about my wife?” Theodore asked hastily, panic taking over him._

_What if he was the only one who survived the devastation? What if he lost them both? He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he lost both Regina and Aurora!_

” _Your wife used the Soulless' power to shield herself from the effect of Pure Light's Bless. It lead to her sacrificing her humanity to those creatures in an exchange for protection. We had no other way but to seal her into Aurora's soul so she could be kept in control”, Head Shaman said. ”Her powers are more dangerous and more powerful than ever before. There will come a day when she will be able to get out with the help of someone who our Seer called 'A Traitorous Vixen'.”_

” _Why did you do something like that without my permission!?” Theodore said, furious. ”We're talking about a young child! She's only four years old!”_

” _We had no other choice, Mr. Heartfilia”, Head Shaman calmly repeated. ”I understand why you're angry with us but please understand that it had to be done. You were in a coma for three weeks.”_

_Theodore took a deep breath to calm down. ”What about Zephyrus?”_

” _Zephyrus was completely annihilated by the attack from the Fiore's Royal Army. I'm afraid that Reana has fallen apart and all the areas has been taken over by Fioreans. Yours and Regina's family were imprisoned and executed a week ago as leaders of the rebellion. They were unable to find you or Regina from the palace ruins so they took every last relative you had left and punished them instead.”_

” _What can I do now?” Theodore quietly asked._

” _The only thing you can do now is to keep your daughter safe at all costs. The king has ordered mercenary guilds to hunt you down and kill you both. I recommend you stay here until everything calms down”, Head Shaman said. ”I'm sorry for your loss. Regina was a great ruler for everyone in her empire and you did a good job at trying to help her control the darkness.”_

” _Thank you, but it doesn't take away my pain.”_

” _You and Regina will be reunited one day in the future”, Head Shaman said as he exited the room, leaving Theodore alone with his sad thoughts and feelings of guilt._

A bright blinding light flashed and the scene disappeared. Lucy and others found themselves standing in the ruins of Zephyrus. Blonde recognized them well – she had been imprisoned here for so long. And now that she knew what had happened, she was pretty sure that being there was a painful experience for Regina as well as it had once been her home.

”Those memories were painful to watch”, Theodore mumbled. ”How could I do something like that to my wife?”

”It was the king who tricked you to participate in his master plan to take over your kingdom”, Nora said. ”You just wanted to save Regina, nothing else, right?”

”I should have ordered someone to assassinate that king when I had a chance!” Theodore said fiercely. ”I did talk about it many times with Regina but then she got pregnant so we couldn't...”

”Well, that answers my question”, Sting said, crossing his arms over his chest. ”I have been wondering how come a nice guy like you could get together with a woman like her but it seems to me that you're not as pure as I thought.”

”I may not gotten obsessed with dark magic, but I really wanted that king to die at some point”, Theodore said. ”I'm a human. We have our weaknesses. It just seems to me that I have too many.”

”Theo, it's alright”, Lucy said. ”I was possessed by Regina's darkness few times. It eventually caused my soul to shatter into pieces.”

”You were possessed by Regina's darkness, Lucy?” Gray asked curiously.

”Well, remember the time when I told you my plan how to separate Natsu and Lisanna from one another? It wasn't truly my plan. It was Regina's. There was also that one time when I had trouble with telling you that someone was taking over my body, Regina didn't want anyone to know that she was awaken so she kept my mouth shut by controlling me. There was also the moment when she took over my body and was trying to come and kill everyone in the guild but Freed's Rune Magic stopped me, remember? Not to mention all the moments when I was so angry at Lisanna that I wanted to kill her...”

”You should have done that”, Lector said. ”That white haired demon should have been stopped a long time ago.”

”Fro thinks so too!” Froche chorused.

”No”, Lucy said. ”I would have given to the darkness if I had done so. I didn't want to be consumed by those powers...”

”Well, it's good that you were able to resist her”, Theodore said. ”I think the present would be completely different if you had given in to her.”

”I can't imagine Luce as a villain”, Natsu said. ”She's way too nice.”

”Hey, I found something”, Happy suddenly said, interrupting their discussion.

He picked something up from the floor of the second floor of a ruined house, and brought it down to the group. Lucy sensed immediately that it was a artefact.

”We have opened the Time Lock”, she said aloud as she took the crystal from the blue Exceed. ”Now all we need is the gate.”

”I don't think we need to look for it”, Nora said, pointing at the golden colored time gate structure that had already opened for them.

But once they took a step towards it, a swirl of black smoke appeared out of nowhere and very furious looking Regina Heartfilia stepped out from it. She then immediately noticed how Theodore turned his head away and smiled mockingly. She snapped her fingers and teleported him in front of herself and then gabbed his chin between her fingers and forced him look at herself.

”Do you now understand why I hate you so much, Theodore? Did you enjoy reliving the memories that ended up with me sacrificing a part of my soul for protection? Did you enjoy reliving the moment when our beloved empire fell? All because of your little midget friend!” Regina said, trying hard to control her emotions.

”Regina, I didn't know that idiot was playing tricks on me”, Theodore said. ”I was too obsessed with the idea that I could finally save you. Seriously, think about it. How could someone like me do something like that to you? To our empire? I loved Zephyrus, remember?”

”You're a liar, Theodore.”

”I'm not. I'm a human being who made a mistake. If you let me, I could make it up to you.”

”The only way you make it up to me is to die.”

”Well then, what are you waiting for? Kill me. Right here”, Theodore challenged her.

Regina looked at him for a moment. ”I think the guilt is already killing you. I should just watch your suffering.”

”It is. I should have ignored that invitation. I shouldn't have gone to Crocus that day, and I definitely shouldn't have trusted Tomas like you asked me to”, Theodore said. ”But I didn't do any of those because I loved you, and wanted to save you. And I still do. And I will.”

Regina pushed him away when Theodore tried to touch her.

”Don't even try”, she whispered. ”I'm not going to forgive you just like that...”

”Then make sure that you're the one who kills me and not one of your minions”, Theodore told her a serious look on his face. ”You're the _only one_ for me.”

”I will keep that in my mind”, Regina whispered as the black smoke covered her up. Then she disappeared.

Lucy couldn't help but feel bad for Regina and Theodore. They obviously loved each other, but Regina was deeply hurt by what had happened that it had blinded her from seeing this man as who he really was.

”Theo, I'm so sorry”, she told the man.

”Don't be”, Theodore whispered. ”I messed up, and hurt her the worst way possible.”

”We should go through the gate now that we still have a chance”, Sting interrupted. ”Who knows if that white haired demon also appears out of nowhere...”

”I agree”, Lucy said as she put the artefact into the lock. ”Now, our destination is clear. Let's move!”

Everyone nodded in agreement and one by one they jumped into the gate. Lucy went in last and made sure she locked it up.

But Lucy wasn't aware that the person they often referred to as 'white haired demon' had been watching the scene from on top of one of the ruined houses and now smiled evilly – tracking the Seeress down was the easiest thing ever.

Now, it was time for a little surprise.

”It's time to keep my promise, Lucy Heartfilia. Next time we meet, you and your companions will die”, Lisanna Strauss said before she disappeared into a swirl of black smoke.


	22. Eclipse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! I'm back with a new chapter for Shattered. This arc is getting closer to its dramatic ending now (only 6 chapters left after this one) and then the last arc begins. :)

_The Path of the Goddess  
_ _Year: 1100X_

When the time gate opened, and Lucy and others got out from it, they had no idea of where they were right now. Everything was covered up in darkness, not even a slightest ray of sunlight got through. Lucy looked around and noticed that people were standing underneath the line of lamp posts on the other side of a small ravine.

”Where are we?” Natsu wondered aloud.

”This is the world Lisanna created”, Nora said. ”She has done something that caused this.”

”We should investigate the area”, Erza said.

”Yeah, we'll probably find answers of what's going on”, Nora agreed. ”Right, Lucy?”

”Yes. Let's follow the group of people. That way we won't get lost”, Lucy said.

Everyone nodded, and they followed Lucy who guided them to the bridge that would take them to the other side of the ravine. There they joined the group of other people who were walking down the road somewhere in silence. Lucy was now able to see – because of the light – that they were in yet another set of ancient ruins. She just couldn't tell where these houses were from.

”We are being guarded by Reanians”, Theodore murmured from behind them.

Lucy noticed the soldiers in black armor walking next to the line of people. They were holding futuristic looking guns in their hands as they went while they looked around them on alert.

”I have a feeling that things aren't that well in this new world”, Sting said quietly to Theodore who nodded in agreement.

”I guess we'll find out the truth sooner or later. Let's just do as these people do”, Lucy told them because she knew perfectly well that Natsu would blow their cover very successfully if he wasn't told to stay calm. When Lucy specifically glared at him when she spoke, pinkette just grinned at her.

”Yes, Natsu, I know you wanted to kick their asses”, she told him.

”I'm not good at keeping my calm, Luce!” he defended himself.

”I have noticed that many, many times”, Lucy laughed.

After that they were told to be quiet by the passing guards and that made Lucy wonder what the hell was going on because these people were all really scared about something. Whenever Lucy tried to get information from other people in the group, they just hussed her off with a look of fear on their faces.

 _Something's terribly wrong in this world now,_ she thought as the group got out of the canyon into a more open area.

Lucy could see even more ruined houses everywhere where the circulating lightspots hit, and some of them had even gotten buried into the ground. Had there been some sort of a landslide at some point that caused this destruction? There were also bigger lamp posts in the area that had two four lamps on top of a high tower. They were all on, and they were circulating the area. There were two of these lamp posts few meters away from one another.

”Welcome”, said a woman in a white uniform.

She had a 'Fiorean Academy of Science' logo attached to her jacket on top of her name plate that said her name was Mari.

”We are going to send you out to the area in the groups of six people. This area is very dangerous so we must be careful with our mission”, woman said. ”You will be guided by two guards per group.”

Lucy noticed that Natsu immediately grabbed her hand and pulled her away from one of the groups. Because of that Nora – who was again carrying Froche – and Sting got separated from them.

”Why did you do this, Natsu?” Lucy asked, as Nora's and Sting's group got sent out.

”Because you would have been alone and we can't allow you to be alone because Lisanna has threatened you so many times with death. I'm not going to lose you again”, Natsu answered.

Lucy just smiled as she intervined her fingers with his. ”Then you'll hold onto my hand until we're somewhere safe.”

”As you wish, Luce”, salmon haired man said and then he surprised Lucy with a kiss – which only made the blonde smile.

”I think I should say something like 'not here' or 'this isn't the right moment' but I don't care”, she whispered to him.

”Good, because I don't care either”, Natsu said.

After waiting for a hour or so, their group was finally allowed to keep going. Soldiers allowed them to carry the Exceeds with them as well and Happy of course took this chance to lay down into Lucy's arms. She didn't really mind it and then they carefully continued their journey guarded by two academy soldiers. They were told to stay quiet, and Lucy gladly obeyed. As much as she had wanted to talk with her friends, she knew that it was best not to do that at the moment.

 _It also looks like Reana and Fiore are actually working together on this... whatever this is,_ Lucy noticed. _And because the Academy of Science is here, I might get my answers from them._

” _Lucy, we are already heading towards the Academy's headquarters. We'll wait for you there and try to investigate”,_ Nora's voice interrupted her thinking.

” _Good. If you say you're in the company of the Seeress, they will probably give you the information”,_ Lucy answered.

” _We'll try that”,_ Nora agreed, and then her presence in Lucy's mind disappeared.

They kept walking quietly. Lucy looked around as much as she could to figure out where they were, but it was basically impossible. However, she did see dark figures of few bigger buildings outside the light zones and on the cliffs that surrounded the area and was sure that this place had once been a really big city. Maybe a very highly advanced metropolis that eventually met its demise in a war?

Eventually, after a hour that had felt like an eternity, Lucy's group finally reached the other end of the area where another path into the canyon was opened for them by two guards who pushed open the weird, floating, transparent gates.

 _Right, so we are so far in the future that the techology has become more advanced,_ Lucy noted in her mind.

”Please keep following the lamp posts until you reach the destination”, said another woman with 'Fiorean Academy of Science' uniform on.

Lucy nodded without even thinking and kept walking forward with Natsu holding her hand and Theodore – who was holding onto Lector, Erza and Gray following them.

”That trip took forever”, Natsu complained. ”Why were we forced to stay quiet?”

”I think this place is a war zone”, Erza said. ”This place is completely wiped out. Some of these buildings are even partially collapsed.”

”I'm sure we'll find our answers soon”, Lucy said. ”Nora and Sting already went ahead, and Nora told me that they'll try to investigate while they wait for us.”

”Good idea. If they have found something, we will save time”, Erza sighed. ”I have a feeling that this place might be too dangerous for you, Lucy.”

”I do have a similar feeling too”, Lucy admitted.

It was true – ever since they had gotten out from the gate, Lucy had felt a lot of tension in the air. And danger. Something was about to happen, and Lucy knew perfectly well that she would be the target.

”We'll keep you safe, Luce”, Natsu promised, and squeezed her hand.

”I trust you with my life, Natsu”, Lucy said smiling.

”You two should go on a real date”, Happy interrupted their cute moment. ”I swear you'll do something kinky soon.”

”You just had to go and ruin our moment, didn't you?” Lucy asked him.

Happy just grinned as he rose on his wings but didn't answer. The look on his face said it all – Happy had dedicated his life to tease the couple.

The path that they followed wasn't as dark as the previous paths had been – there were lamp posts close to each other and there were even more wider lights attached to the cliffs surrounding them. Lucy was getting more and more curious about the area, and the city that had been there that she almost completely ignored the moment when her senses detected a new time gate that was getting closer and closer. It was somewhere up ahead. However, she couldn't locate the artefact. If they were unable to find that one, they wouldn't be able to travel through the gate to the next destination.

 _Also, is it just me or has this journey gotten more and more harder recently? It's like the time itself doesn't want us to continue on this path... Ever since we were in 875X, things have changed and there's this weird tension in the air all the time. It makes me feel like something huge is about to happen but what could that be?_ Lucy wondered as she turned around the corner and found herself looking at the ruins of a city central.

Lucy still couldn't recognize the place because it was so different than any of the other cities she had been in recently. There were also new buildings that had been built. There was a big building that had 'Fiorean Academy of Science Headquarters' on the side of it and the other one said 'Salvation Terminal'. There were airships leaving and coming in all the time. They had a text 'Reanian Air Force' written on them.

 _What the hell is going on here? Where are these ships going and coming from?_ Lucy wondered.

”Sting and Nora are over there”, Gray said, pointing at one of the new buildings where Nora was waving at them eagerly. ”I think they have something important to tell us so I suggest we'll go before she falls off that balcony.”

Lucy nodded in agreement and the group went into the elevator in front of them. It automatically closed the doors afterwards and descended into the center area. When the doors opened, Lucy and others went out and looked around. There were imperial soldiers everywhere while the scientists were running or walking around. There were a lot of apartments and shops in the area as well, which surprised Lucy completely.

”People actually live in these ruins?” Natsu said in disbelief. ”But this place is nothing but a pile of rubble!”

”I think there is a reason”, Lucy said. ”Those airships are going somewhere.”

”Maybe they're evacuating the area from some sort of a attack”, Gray suggested.

”Or Reana has taken over this area”, Erza said.

”I highly doubt it”, Theodore said. ”Reanians in this downtown aren't hostile towards Fioreans at all. In my opinion they're working together on something. And honestly, I'm happy about it. I never wanted the war to continue as long as it did anyway...”

”I agree with Theo”, Lucy told them. ”These people aren't here killing each other.”

”I'm sure Nora can answer that question better”, Natsu said. ”She seemed to be quite excited over something so maybe we should move on.”

”I find this smarter Natsu very attractive”, Lucy informed him. Then she sighed. ”Gosh, I'm starting to sound like Nora...”

They continued walking forward through the area where shopkeepers and apartment owners were closing their shops and houses. Lucy noticed that they were all carrying a lot of stuff with them, and there were even weird looking transportation devices that hovered in the air while the people carried their belongings over to them.

”I can't believe we're living through the historic day!” one woman exclaimed to her neighbour. ”We can finally move into the Sky City!”

”Yes, we are very lucky. Personally I like to here in this city instead. No matter how dangerous it is...”

”Nonsense, Harriet. You'll definitely enjoy living in the Sky City”, said the first woman.

”I guess so then. I don't really have a choice”, second woman – Harriet – said. ”I would die here at once after the lights are shut down.”

 _Wait, did those people talk about a Sky City?_ Lucy thought as she and her group went past them towards the stairs that would take them to the balcony where Nora and Sting were waiting for them.

”Took you forever to get here!” Nora greeted them in a mocking tone. ”I have a lot of interesting information for you to share.”

”Well, shoot then”, Lucy told her.

”I think we should go to a more peaceful area first”, Nora said. ”I tried to get us onto the flight on the airship but all the ships are full. Then the staff at the Academy of Science told me that we can find shelter in their headquarters so we're going there. Come on.”

She walked towards a staircase few meters away. Lucy and others followed her.

” _The flight to the Sky City Hargeon from the Old Hargeon leaves in 40 minutes. Please make sure that all your belongings are with you. Thank you, and have a great Salvation Day!”_ Echoed an announcement everywhere in the area. When the voice mentioned a Sky City, Lucy immediately had a bad feeling about it. She remembered that in her first vision, there was a floating city in the sky that fell, killing a lot of people.

”The scientists in this city are working on a way to destroy the Soulless Army for good. That's why the headquarters will stay lit even after the rest of the city isn't”, Sting was just saying as he walked next to Theodore. ”They said it's really dangerous to stay here, but in order to save this world they'd even sacrifice themselves.”

”Things are really bad in this world then”, Theodore said and sighed. ”Even if Regina is evil, she would never do this.”

”I liked Regina's timeline so much more”, Gray agreed.

”I agree”, Sting said serious look on his face.

********

At the top of the staircase Lucy and others found themselves standing in front of the front door to the Academy of Science Headquarters. The white building was even more bigger when they stood right next to it. On the surface of it there were a lot of flashing pictures of different kinds of announcements. There were even few motionless screens that had some sort of a broadcast going on but there was no sound.

”We were allowed to enter this building by the director Piet”, Nora said to the guards at the doorway. They Reanian Imperial Army's uniforms. They were holding guns in their hands as well.

They just silently nodded and moved out of the way.

The group went in and the doors closed behind them. Lucy looked around in the circular room. It was a well lit room. There were decorations everywhere to make it more cozy for the residents and there were a lot of people who were saying goodbyes to their loved ones before they were forced to separate for the rest of their lives. The center of the room had a circlular table and had three female staff workers standing behind them. They were all wearing similar uniforms that the two other female workers from before had.

”Welcome to the Academy of Science, Hargeon headquarters”, said the first receptionist. ”How may I help you?”

”We are time travellers who are trying to fix things and we were unable to get tickets for the trip to the Sky City but Director Piet told me that we could find shelter from this building, is that possible?”

”Director Piet has informed us of your arrival and will meet you here soon. Please wait in the entrance hall, and I will inform him that you have arrived”, receptionist said and then she clicked a button on a small microphone and said, ”Director Piet, your guests has arrived. They are waiting in the entrance hall for you, sir.”

”I wonder what this is about”, Lucy mumbled as the group sat down on the nearest sofa. ”Why would this director guy want to meet us?”

”Maybe he wants information regarding the Soulless”, Nora said. ”After all, we are more than familiar with those creatures.”

”I just hope that they're not planning to imprison us or anything”, Happy mumbled.

”I doubt it. Director Piet seemed way too nice to have a evil intentions”, Nora rejected the idea. ”At least I didn't sense anything dark in him.”

”If you feel that way then I'll trust you”, Erza said. ”But we still need to be careful.”

”Here he comes! Let me do the talking”, Nora said.

She stood up and walked over to a blonde man who was walking towards them. He and Nora had a short conversation and then the blonde man nodded.

Nora walked back and said, ”He's going to let us stay in his apartment so we can relax for a while and he will later meet us there to discuss about something else”, she then fell quiet for a moment before she looked at Lucy with a worried look in her eyes.

”Lucy, are you OK? You look really pale.”

”I don't feel so good”, Lucy said and massaged her temples.

She had suddenly began to feel sick and her head was aching like when she was really sick or when she had a migraine attack. However, this felt different.

”Lucy?” Erza asked.

But before Lucy could say anything, she got sucked into another violent vision just like the first one. Except that this one was different...

_Lucy didn't know what she was looking at. Only thing she knew that this floating city was in grave danger as the army of black creatures chased down the civilians in their hunger for chaos. And in the midst of all of it, there was a woman standing. She had white hair, and victoriously gleaming orange eyes. At her feet there were countless lifeless bodies – even the ones' whom Lucy loved._

_Lucy knew her name._

_White haired demon looked at Lucy with a look of satisfaction._

_Lucy tried to escape but there was no way to do it unless she jumped off the sky city she had sworn to protect._

_White haired demon approached, and readied her most deadliest attack._

_The ground shook beneath Lucy's feet._

_And then she fell along with the city that she had sworn to protect._

_White haired demon laughed victoriously before she disappeared._

Lucy woke up screaming. She and everyone died in that city before it fell. Lisanna had killed everyone and even dared to smile afterwards!? Lucy felt so angry that she wanted to go find her and kill her before she could do that!

 _Calm down, Lucy. It was just a vision. A warning. When it finally happens, you'll make sure that everyone survives,_ she thought as she began to look around in the room she was in.

She had expected to wake up in the entrance hall, but she was wrong. This room was nowhere near that place. It was completely different – room was smaller, and dimly lit. And she was the only one there at the moment.

”Lucy!” she heard Natsu's voice coming from behind the door on the other side of the room and soon everyone barged in looking worried. Natsu immediately ran to her and pulled her into a hug.

”I'm so glad you're awake. We were scared you're gonna stay unconcious for hours...”

”Where am I? What happened?” Lucy asked, feeling confused. She had fallen unconcious during her vision?

”You had another vision, but this one was so strong that it made you fall unconcious”, Erza said. ”It has been 30 minutes since then.”

”You were mumbling something about 'A Traitorous Vixen' and 'fall of the city of the kings', too”, Nora said. ”What did you see this time? And this time, please tell me all the details.”

”How did you realize I didn't tell you everything?” Lucy asked, feeling ashamed.

”I'm a part of your soul. I know everything about you, Lucy. Sometimes you seem to forget that. Well?”

”Lisanna will destroy one of the sky cities somewhere in the future and she will kill us, too”, Lucy said sheepisly. ”I have a feeling that it might be Crocus. Especially if I mumbled about a fall of the city of the kings.”

”We need to kill that woman next time we see her”, Theodore said. ”That's the easiest way to prevent The End of Days from happening too.”

”But we don't know when and where she's going to do it”, Erza argued.

”I think we need to form an alliance with Regina and do it together. She wants Lisanna to disappear too.”

”Do you think Regina will do that?” Gray asked. ”After all, we destroyed the timeline she built.”

”She will when we tell her what's going to happen if Lisanna doesn't disappear.”

”I guess there's no other way”, Lucy sighed. ”I was kinda hoping that we could save her somehow but I have a feeling that killing her is the only way to fix things.”

”I wonder how possessed with darkness Rogue is though”, Gray said. ”I mean, he doesn't seem to be crazy like Lisanna is nor is he emotionally unstable like Regina... He seems to be more calm. Pretty much like the Rogue we know.”

”It's not the same Rogue”, Froche said. ”Rogue isn't like this man who looks like him.”

”Yeah, there are differences”, Sting agreed. ”This Rogue has different magic in use and he seems to like to tease us and try to come up with deals all the time. The Rogue I know doesn't do things like that.”

”So it's okay to assume that he is possessed by the darkness”, Gray said.

”Is there a way to fix it?” Sting asked. ”We need to save him for Froche's sake. He's been so depressed ever since all this began.”

Lucy smiled. ”I know perfectly well why Froche's here with us. He has a role in this, just like we all do but it's not time for him to act yet.”

”Did you hear that, Froche? You're gonna do something awesome so cheer up!” Sting said.

”I'll save my friend!” green Exceed in the frog outfit said.

”Now that this has been discussed, let's go to the living room so I can finally tell you what I know”, Nora said as she turned around and walked away.

Lucy got up from the sofa and followed her. Once she got there, she noticed it was a very classy yet very futuristic looking room. Lucy wasn't even sure what to call some of the devices there but didn't care. Room still looked very cozy so she sat down on another yet sofa where Theodore already sat with a glass of wine in his hand and looked at Nora.

”Well, now that we're all here, I can share my information”, Sting's girlfriend began, ”First of all, we are in the year 1100X right now, and secondly, this area is what's left of Hargeon.”

”What?” Natsu asked. ”Hargeon? This place looks nothing like Hargeon!”

”It's because it changed completely when Regina destroyed the old timeline. The new Hargeon was a bigger city. It used to be a metropolis and people who lived there were survivors of the countless wars between Reana and Fiore. However, when Lisanna betrayed Regina and took control over the Soulless Army, Hargeon was the first city that was attacked in 876X. Luckily most citizens were saved because of the advanced defense systems but the city was inhabitable so Fiore's king decided to clean up the area with a new weapon. The plan backfired terribly because it did not only wipe out the Soulless in the city but also wiped out the whole town. After this failed operation, the king decided that they would have to ask Reana's help to save Fiore”, Nora explained. ”And believe it or not, Regina actually agreed to give them assistance on this and the Academy of Science was moved to Zephyrus where the scientists of both nations worked on a project they called Operation Salvation”, Nora explained and sighed. ”They decided to build floating cities.”

”Oh no...” Lucy whispered, feeling how chills went down her spine as the memory of her recent vision came to her mind.

”Exactly”, Nora confirmed. ”They decided to rebuild all cities simultaenously. Hargeon, which was destroyed first, would be the first one to be launched into the sky. This took place a week ago and now all remaining citizens are being transported into the Sky City Hargeon. After this operation, they are planning to launch both Magnolia and Crocus sky cities into the sky as well. Zephyrus Sky City will be launched into the sky soon, too.”

”Zephyrus?” Theodore asked in a worried tone. ”What happened to my town?”

”Well, apparently Regina has decided that it would be best if Zephyrus would be saved as well. To me it sounds like the Soulless has began to destroy Reana piece by piece as well.”

”But my wife is safe, isn't she?”

”I believe so, Theo.”

”There's absolutely no need to worry about Master Regina's well being”, said a voice in the room suddenly and then a swirl of black smoke appeared next to Nora.

Rogue stepped out from it with a look of amusement on his face as he looked directly at Theodore.

”If you wish to be with Regina so much, your majesty, why don't you leave this group and join the one you actually belong to?” he asked mockingly.

”I don't believe that Regina wants to see me at the moment”, Theodore answered politely even though it was easy to see that he was annoyed by the fact that he was here and not by Regina's side.

”And yet you are still very annoyed by this situation”, Rogue said but Theodore refused to continue the discussion so he turned his attention to the others. ”I must say, I did not expect to see you people in such a dangerous area as this one. You people really made her angry with the trick you pulled in 491X.”

”It was necessary for us to do so we could keep going”, Lucy defended them. ”We had to fix that paradox so we could open a pathway to this new timeline Lisanna's betrayal created.”

”You actually thought Lisanna could create a timeline without using Horologium Saeculum?” Rogue mocked them. ”That's what proves me how stupid you people actually are. Lisanna didn't create anything. She only changed the direction of the timeline. You were lost in time and needed new time gates to keep moving so Sae directed you to 491X which was the only place you could go at the time. Regina's timeline still exists.”

”I bet you had another reason to come see us rather than tell us how stupid we are”, Nora said.

”Oh, yes”, Rogue said. ”I'm on a mission to kill Lisanna. Regina's orders.”

”And you came to this year because...?”

”Because she has been seen here few times recently, especially after you arrived so I assume that your precious Seeress is the target”, Rogue said while looking around. ”She's somewhere outside this building...”

He disappeared into a swirl of black smoke.

And where he had stood, a floating crystal artefact appeared.

”Wait, where did that artefact come from?” Natsu asked.

”He left it here as he left”, Lucy said as she stood up from the sofa and picked up the artefact. ”Now we just have to go to the gate... I just don't know where it's located exactly.”

”I think I can help you with that”, said a new voice from the doorway to the living room.

It was the same blonde man who Lucy had seen in the entrance hall. He walked into the room.

”I'm the Director of the Academy of Science Hargeon Headquarters. The name is Victor Piet.”

”Hello”, Lucy said as she shook his hand. ”I'm Lucy Heartfilia.”

”Ah, you're the infamous Seeress that has been seen many times in the past. I'm truly honored to meet you, your highness.”

”Please, just call me Lucy. I'm more comfortable with that”, Lucy said smiling.

”As you wish, Miss Lucy.”

”You surely took time to come back here, Piet. What kept you?” Nora asked. ”We're going to leave soon so you need to tell your story fast.”

”I was informed of a sighting of Lisanna Strauss in the Salvation Terminal and I had to check it myself. She is the traitor who let the Soulless Army into Fiore in 875X. Both Reana and Fiore wants her to be caught and executed as soon as possible”, Director Piet said. ”The time gate you are looking for is located in the terminal so I had to make sure that she didn't destroy it. We have to get you out of here before the city is darkened.”

” _Don't tell him about your vision, Lucy. He doesn't need to know that The End of Days is approaching. He would do something he isn't meant to do”,_ Sae's voice warned Lucy.

”How long do we have time before the city goes dark?” she asked.

”Two hours”, Director Piet answered. ”There are a lot of people in this city so taking them all to the sky city will take time. Until we are completed the operation, the city lights will stay on.”

”Alright. I think we should go to the time gate immediately.”

”Wait, Lucy, not yet. I have a question”, Erza said. ”How long has this eclipse been here?”

”It's not exactly a solar eclipse”, Director Piet said. ”It's a mist made of darkness. It's been covering this area up ever since the royal army of Fiore used their weapon of mass destruction on the city. The Soulless did die, but it created a thick layer of this dangerous mist. We have to keep lights on all the time and make sure nobody gets lost into the darkness because they will immediately turn into Soulless.”

”The Soulless doesn't die until the day when Regina dies”, Theodore said. ”Regina is the one who created these creatures, and they use her darkness as their life source. If you really want Soulless to disappear, you have to kill my wife.”

”Well that's problematic then”, Director Piet sighed. ”I was hoping there was another way. I really respect the Empress because she helped us and killing her would be a wrong way to pay her for that favor.”

”We just have to help Regina to take over the control of the Soulless. She can keep them under control and stop this madness”, Theodore said. ”Yes, having them under her control may be dangerous but after hearing these catastrophic stories I suggest that we'll make sure that Lisanna and Regina ends up in a fight and Regina wins. That's how the Soulless Army would return to their rightful master because under Regina's control, things like this catastrophe won't happen.”

”It looks like I got answers to all my questions, your majesty”, Director Piet said. ”You see, my main idea was to discuss with you on how could we destroy the Soulless Army for good and it sounds like we have to step down from this research and leave it for you. Can you really make it sure that Empress will take over the control of the Soulless?”

”Yes, and I will help her”, Theodore promised.

”That would be great. Then we would be able to live on the ground level again in the future”, Director Piet said. ”That is our plan. These sky cities are only a temporary solution.”

”Then we will do all we can to make it happen”, Lucy promised. ”Now, if you didn't have anything to discuss with us, we should probably leave.”

”I thank you for your time, Miss Heartfilia.”

”You're welcome, Director.”

”Do you think Regina will take the Soulless Army back, Theo?” Lucy asked as they followed Nora towards the Salvation Terminal, where the time gate was located.

”I do believe so. Regina is really the only one who can control them without going crazy because of the power they give her”, he answered. ”I will talk to her about it and tell her that we could help her. We could lure Lisanna into a trap and Regina would deal with her and the Soulless Army would return to her.”

”But the problem is Regina. Does she want to co-operate with us or will she turn us down?” Erza wondered.

”That will also be answered when we actually meet her”, Theodore said. ”I'm pretty sure she's following our every move and will come to our next destination if she thinks the plan would work. I know my wife. She's smart.”

”We'll trust you on this”, Lucy said smiling.

Their discussion was interrupted when Nora suddenly pulled out her weapon and shot right into the entrance of the terminal.

”It was Lisanna! Protect Lucy!” she yelled as she ran into the building Sting following her.

”I'll stay with Lucy”, Theodore said calmly as he pulled out his sword. ”You go hunt that demon down.”

”Please be careful”, Lucy said to the rest of them when they ran after Nora.

”We'll stay with you too”, Happy said. ”We'll probably only be in the way if we go.”

”You're right”, Lucy agreed. ”But we still has to go there, no matter how much my life is in danger. The gate has to be opened.”

”You Exceeds can help Lucy to escape if things turn bad”, Theodore said as Natsu's Fire Dragon's Roar destroyed the windows of the terminal. It was soon followed by Sting's roar and Nora's whirlwind attack. Lucy, Theodore and the Exceeds ran into the terminal. There they saw a lot of dead, sliced bodies and lots and lots of blood everywhere on the floor, walls and furniture. Lisanna had probably been here on a killing spree for a while because the devastation was so big.

”You're all pathetic”, Lisanna's voice said from the corridor. ”You're trying to protect her while you very well know that you can't stop me from killing her. She has to die. Otherwise I will turn into a weakling again and _I will not have that_!”

A set of Dark Javelins flew into the entrance hall of the terminal and Lucy had to dodge them in order to save herself.

”Oh, there you are, my prey”, Lisanna's voice said. ”Come here and play with me, little Lucy.”

The laugh that followed made Lucy's insides freeze in horror. Lisanna had definitely gone insane. Even more than she had originally been.

”You don't want to play with me? Well then, maybe I'll just cut Dragneel's throat open...”

”No!” Lucy yelled, horrified.

She got up from her hiding place and ran past the corner into the corridor where she saw all of her companions and friends being hurt because of Lisanna's attacks. She was holding Natsu's head up by pulling his hair and held her Javelin's deadly sharp blade against his throat.

”You're not going to kill him! He's my everything!” Lucy yelled.

”Well, I think you could exchange him to your own life then. But then Sae won't be able to see what's going on and can't stop me from destroying this world”, Lisanna said. She smiled.

”Oh, yes, Lucy. I'm very well aware that you can See. You have already seen what I'm going to do next... With or without you in the picture.”

”I will stop you”, Lucy said, already feeling power growing inside of her. She wasn't sure what it was but she hoped that it would help her to beat this demon up.

Lisanna sneered. ”What's a weakling like you going to do?”

”I'm gonna Lucy Kick you to a pulp!” Lucy said as the golden light erupted. ”Time Turner!” she yelled.

Time began to move backwards, Lucy ran towards Lisanna as fast as she could. Once the time stopped, Lucy kicked Lisanna into jaw which caught white haired woman by a surprise and she stumbled backwards and massaged her jaw.

”What the hell just happened?” Nora murmured on the background.

”Never touch Natsu Dragneel again or I will do something that would really make this timeline to collapse!” Lucy yelled into Lisanna's face.

”What would that be? Crying? Well, bohoo, blonde bitch”, Lisanna sneered.

”No”, Lucy said. ”I will go back in time so far into the past and end your existence right there and then.”

Lisanna only sneered. ”Yeah right, Regina, we'll see about that. You may have won me this time but next time you won't be that lucky! I will see you idiots in the year 1300X when The End of Days will finally begin!”

And with that, she disappeared into a swirl of black smoke.

”Lucy, are you OK?” Natsu asked and he hurried to her side. ”And what the hell was that weird thing that just happened?”

Lucy turned around to face him. ”She was going to kill you, Natsu! I had no other way but to turn back time so I could stop her...” she hugged him. ”I don't want to live in this world without you...”

”Hey, I survived, Luce”, Natsu said as he squeezed her tightly. ”I'm fine now but having two different memories of what just happened sucks.”

”Oh my, is that the Seeress Lucy Heartfilia!?” yelled someone from the group of civilians who had been pushed back into the corridor when the battle had begun.

”I can't believe I have seen a day when the Seeress stands right before my eyes!”

”It is truly a blessing from the Goddess”, someone else said.

”Lucy, I think we should leave now that we still have the chance”, Nora said. ”Open the gate, and while you do so, please explain to me why you sounded like Regina for a moment there.”

”I can't give you a answer because I honestly don't know why”, Lucy said as she put the artefact into the gate which began to shine immediately as it opened.

”Maybe it was Regina”, Theodore said thoughtfully.

”But she isn't inside my soul anymore”, Lucy said. ”How could she take over my body?”

”If you were angry enough, and anger is a very strong negative emotion, she can”, Theodore answered. ”So it might've been her who said so instead of you.”

”So Regina has put Lisanna's name on her little 'Must Be Killed List'”, Sting said.

”I have a feeling that we will soon witness a battle between them”, Erza said. ”This is more like a war between Lisanna and Regina rather than them trying to stop us.”

”No, it was me who said it”, Lucy said shaking her head. ”I've held my anger towards her hidden deep inside for far too long and whenever she even dares to talk about Natsu or even mention his name, it irritates me. I feel that she has no right to talk about him or even think of him after what she did three years ago. I haven't forgiven her, and I never will”, she explained. ”I want revenge”, she whispered.

”Careful, Lucy”, Nora said. ”You might as well fall into darkness if you hold onto those thoughts too long.”

Lucy nodded. ”I know, but I just can't let it go. Not yet.”

”You probably should try to because I can feel that something's odd about you now, Lucy.”

Lucy shrugged. ”I don't feel any different than before, Nora. I'm sure it's nothing”, she said and smiled. ”Let's go, ok? We don't have anything else to do here.”

Everyone nodded in agreement, and one by one, they stepped into the gate that would hopefuly take them somewhere where they could finally try to stop the evil...


	23. Love In The Future

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm back with a new chapter for Shattered, as usual. :D This chapter is mostly about romance only because I'm a Libra and we LOVE romance, but the storyline does progress further a little bit as well, of course. I just wanted to do a bit different chapter because I thought the story really needed one as it is not a very light hearted one, lol. 
> 
> Happy reading, everybody! :)

_Central City Park, Crocus  
_ _Year: 1300X_

When the gate opened and Lucy and others got out from it, they didn't expect to find themselves in one of the sky cities they had learned about only a short while ago. It felt like they had come to a complete different world because the place was so advanced in every way they could think of. City was huge. All the buildings were tall and elegant. They saw hover cars and airships flying in the air towards their destinations while people on foot used bridges and other kind of paths to do the same.

”Where the hell are we now?” Natsu asked, looking around. ”This place is so different!”

” _It's 12:00pm and the preparations for tomorrow's Salvation Day Parade are going as planned. Tomorrow's weather is sunny and warm, which means it's perfect for everyone in Sky City Crocus to move out and celebrate”,_ said a male voice from the loudspeaker on the nearby building which had a name 'Radio Sky City' written on a plate over its front doors.

” _Yes. Everyone in Crocus and other sky cities are really excited over this parade. It's the 200 th anniversary of the Operation Salvation that saved us 200 years ago. Now, the ground levels of Earthland are still inhabitable because the Soulless Army still resides there and people have gotten so used to live in these sky cities that it's impossible to tell if they will ever be able to get used to life back there”,_ said a female voice. _”Academy of Science is expecting the mysterious Seeress Lucy Heartfilia and her companions to solve this problem but nobody hasn't seen her anywhere since the incident in the Old Hargeon, Tom.”_

” _I'm sure that the Seeress is somewhere working on the problem so we can finally go back to the ground level one day in the future”,_ said Tom. _”And now, it's time for more catchy summer tunes for everyone to dance to. More discussions of the Salvation Day and its history coming up later!”_ he added and then a very futuristic sounding music began to play.

”Hmm, we don't have that type of music yet”, Gray said. ”It's kinda catchy.”

”So we're in 1300X”, Lucy said, looking around and finally noticed that they were standing in a park.

It looked a lot like the park in actual Crocus but there was a difference, too – a statue of the Goddess of Time was placed in the middle of it in a water fountain. Citizens of this city walked around,sat on benches talking to each other, watching after their children, read books or just looked at the small devices that Lucy had never seen before.

”Lisanna told us to come here and threatened that she's going to destroy something”, Theodore said quietly. ”It's better if we talk as quietly as possible so people in this city won't start a rumor that this place is going to be destroyed.”

”You're right”, Lucy said. ”And we should investigate this before someone noticed that I have actually arrived here...”

”Yeah, in this year Lucy is basically a celebrity”, Nora giggled.

She pushed Lucy and Natsu out of the group. ”You two are going to go on a proper date today because you lovebirds need it.”

”But –”

”No, Lucy. You're going to do exactly as I tell you. We can take care of tracking Lisanna down and you two go have fun.”

”I think it's a good idea”, Erza said smiling. ”You two haven't been able to spend time together that much ever since we all reunited. We will investigate and you do whatever you want somewhere else. If we find anything, Nora will let you know, ok?”

”Alright”, Lucy said.  
  
”Please try to find me red snapper somewhere!” Happy said. ”I have this weird desire to eat some...”

”Okay, Happy, we can try”, Lucy said as she and Natsu left the park hand in hand.

”They're right though”, Natsu said.

”Of what?” Lucy asked.

”We haven't been able to spend time together that much ever since we reunited”, salmon haired man grinned. ”So we are gonna make sure that we'll do a lot of stuff!”

Lucy didn't object the idea at all. ”Let's do it!”

*********

”Wow, I thought she would reject the idea completely”, Nora said as the rest of the group watched how Lucy and Natsu eventually ran off somewhere who knows where. ”I have completely underestimated her.”

”She always surprises everyone”, Gray said. ”I think we should begin our investigation and find those answers Nora spoke us about telepathically earlier.”

”Yes, we should”, Erza agreed. ”Let's begin by asking around. Maybe someone has seen something.”

Everyone nodded and began to ask questions from the people in the park. Erza glanced longingly at the table nearby where a old woman was sharing a delicious looking strawberry cake and sighed.

 _I really miss eating strawberry cake at the guild..._ she thought as she turned her back on the table and walked over to the nearest person to her.

”Excuse me”, redhead said politely to a man, who was reading a book.

”Yes, how can I help you?” man said as he looked up at her.

”Have seen or heard anything about a young woman with white hair and orange eyes? Her name is Lisanna Strauss.”

”I can't say that I have. You should ask from someone else or go straight to the Academy of Science. They would be able to answer your questions better”, man answered smiling.

”I will go ask them later. Thank you for your time”, Erza said and then proceeded to ask the same question from the next person and the next one after that.

After asking around for an hour or so, Erza and others decided to go ask around somewhere else. So they exited the park and walked towards the airship main station called 'Hope Terminal', which was a lot like Salvation Terminal had been in the Old Hargeon. The group began to ask around about Lisanna but again, they were not given any answers. They learned that even the mentioning of Lisanna's name was basically a insult to anyone who was from Reana.

”Don't ever mention that horrible name again!” said one angry looking Reanian woman. ”That name is a curse word where I come from! She destroyed our beautiful empire!”

”I'm sorry, I didn't know”, Erza had to say.

”And worst thing of it all is that they say she is still alive! Can you believe it!? After 400 years, that _thing_ is still alive!” woman ranted on and spat on the floor as she did. She exited the building mumbling angrily about ignorant Fioreans.

Erza learned that it was best to leave Reanians alone and not ask them anything.

”Wow Erza, you really know how to politely piss Reanians off”, Nora said when the group gathered together in the main hall.

It was a huge dome shaped hall. It had three floors. There were a lot of floating transparent screens in the air and passangers were watching them before going to their airships. There were also different types of ads on some of these screens.

” _A flight to Zephyrus Seashore Terminal will leave in 15 minutes. Please gather all your belongings and aboard the airship for your journey”_ , came on a announcement from the radio at that very same moment. These announcements were normal for the citizens in the city. They happened every hour and again closer to the departure of airships.

”I didn't know mentioning her name was a insult to Reanians”, Erza defended herself. ”Nobody told me.”

”I thought it was obvious that Reanians would get annoyed if you mention Lisanna by name. I only called her the traitor and they knew exactly who I meant”, Nora said grinning.

”You are being very annoying to me now”, redhead informed her.

”I know. I want to see when you get so mad that you want to fight me.”

”I don't understand why you would want to fight Erza”, Happy said. ”She takes fighting seriously.”

”So do I”, Nora said. ”I'd really love to have a match with you, Erza. I like to test my own limits.”

”Well then, we should give it a shot once we have stopped Lisanna”, Erza said smiling.

”That would be great.”

They shook hands.

”Now, did anyone actually find anything?” Theodore asked. ”I didn't. Whenever I approached someone, I was asked why wasn't I with Regina at her hotel in the rich people's area on the Sky Lanes District.”

”Well, you are their ruler's husband. Of course they'll be shocked to see you”, Sting said. ”But no, I didn't find anything. Did anyone else?”

Everyone shook their heads.

”Well, I guess we can assume that Lisanna is very good at hiding or she really hasn't come here yet”, Lector said.

”Let's go back outside”, Nora said.

Everyone nodded and followed her outside where they witnessed how a huge airship just flew into the city and over the Hope Terminal. On the side of the ship there was a sign 'Zephyrus Skylines'. It was a purple colored ship with black stripes as decorations. It began to descend behind the terminal slowly.

Erza and others decided to go ask from the citizens in the Sky Lanes District if they had seen or heard anything about Lisanna. On their way there they had to ask directions because they weren't sure which road to take from the Central Park. They were told to follow the East Road which would take them there. They continued their walking while asking about Lisanna from the people who passed them on the bridge road.

”Hey, be careful or you might fall”, said one of the citizens as the group stopped to look down over the stonemade fence.

”There has been many accidents where foolish citizens has fallen into their demise from this bridge. Some of them has done it on purpose but accidents has also happened.”

”Yeah, the Soulless Army will destroy you before you even die. Then you'll turn into one of them”, said citizen's friend.

”Thanks, we'll keep that in mind”, Erza said as she stepped away from the edge of the bridge and they continued their journey towards the area where rich people lived.

At the other end of the bridge there was a gateway to a completely different area. Houses were way more glamorous and there were transparent screens everywhere. There was more trees and flowers, and shops were suitable for rich people.

”Rogue!” Froche suddenly said.

He ran past Erza before anyone could even stop him and he headed towards a man who was sitting on the bench nearby. He looked at the approaching Exceed with eyes full of questions as if he didn't even remember who Froche was.

”And what are you supposed to be, hm?” Rogue asked as he picked the Exceed up. ”A talking cat in a frog outfit?”

”It's me, Rogue! Froche, your best friend!” Froche said.

”I don't remember having a talking cat as a best friend”, Rogue said.

Then he looked at the Exceed for a while longer.

”But you do look familiar so I guess we've met at some point”, he added before putting Froche back down.

Green Exceed looked disappointed.

”My Master requires Theodore's presence in her hotel room”, Rogue then said.

”Is this the day when she finally ends my life?” Theodore asked.

”I have no idea of what she wants to do with you and I do not care. My mission is to find that traitorous vixen and end her life”, Rogue answered. ”Regina's staying in this hotel behind me and her room number is 866. I suggest you hurry up, Theodore. Regina isn't a very patient woman.”

”I'll go”, Theodore said.

Rogue then disappeared into a swirl of black smoke.

”He doesn't remember me”, Froche said sadly.

”We'll help him remember, Froche”, Sting said. ”I doubt he has truly forgotten you though. You cannot be forgotten because you're so weird.”

”Fro thinks so, too!” green Exceed said.

”Are you sure it's wise to go meet up with Regina? Last time we met her, she wanted to kill you”, Gray asked.

”If she still wishes to end my life, I'm completely fine with her decision. I deserve it for betraying her”, Theodore answered

And with that, hhe turned around and walked into the white building called 'Midnight Dreams – hotel & night club'. It was a very classy looking building with the red carpet underneath a red awning. Doormen opened the door for Theodore and he disappeared into the crowd in the entrance hall.

”Do you think we should let him go alone?” Gray asked Erza. ”Because I really don't.”

”I think Regina will change her mind”, Nora said. ”That woman hides it really well but she loves him.”

”I hope you're right, Nora.”

”Since when have I been wrong? Never. I'm always correct.”

*********

While everyone else was investigating, Natsu and Lucy were in a amusement park in the west side of Crocus. This area was called Entertainment District and it had a lot of record labels, concert halls, night clubs, theme and amusement parks there. There were also outdoor food stands where people often bought food as they kept on venturing in the area. Natsu and Lucy had been checking out various of these places – especially after they noticed that Lucy had a lot of money on her bank account – and they tried a lot of different foods which were unfamiliar to them.

They had a lot of fun even when Natsu's motion sickness got the best of him in a roller coaster and on the ferris wheel. But it didn't stop them from enjoying. They were able to forget all the serious business at hand and for the first time in a while, Natsu was able to see the real Lucy – the one he loved the most.

”I really love this city”, Lucy said when they were eating something called 'hot dogs' and drank something people called 'coca cola'. They were sitting on a brown wooden bench as the sun was setting. Entertainment District had started to get silent as some of the shops and fun stops closed their doors but Natsu and Lucy just liked it this way.

”I personally miss Magnolia from our time a lot”, Natsu admitted and threw his lemonade cup into the closest trash can. ”But this place is pretty cool.”

”I wouldn't mind living here”, Lucy said. She smiled. ”But it wouldn't be the same if you weren't here with me.”

”As if you're gonna get rid of me anytime soon”, Natsu joked, causing her to giggle.

She looked so cute when she did that so he tried to make her giggle as much as possible. He put his arm around her shoulders.

”I should have told you about my feelings a long time ago...” he added quietly.

”How long have you felt this way?” Lucy asked just as quietly.

”I'm not exactly sure. I just suddenly couldn't stop thinking about you and it annoyed me at first because I kind of felt like I was betraying Lisanna. We did make a promise as kids but then she 'died'. After a while I began to think she would want me to move on so I did.”

”So you say you had nobody else before you met me?” Lucy asked curiously. ”Natsu, I have a hard time to believe that.”

”Better believe it, Luce”, Natsu said and grinned. ”I think I was waiting for you the whole time. I just didn't know it until I fell in love with you.”

”That's so romantic, Natsu”, Lucy said. ”I really, really like this side of you...” she added before she kissed him, and he returned the kiss. It felt so right, and he hoped that Lucy felt as deeply as he did – to Natsu, they were soulmates.

”I bet Nora will tease me for all this passion I feel for you”, Lucy whispered and giggled. ”I think I've been in love with you since the day we met.”

”Really? And why didn't you say anything?”

”I was stupid back then”, Lucy said. ”But I'm not going to hide it anymore.”

”Good, because I'm not planning on hiding my own feelings for you”, Natsu said. ”Because I think we are meant to be together.”

”I feel the same way, too”, Lucy whispered and smiled. ”So I guess we're stuck with each other then.”

Natsu smiled. ”I don't mind being stuck with you”, he said as he kissed her again, and this time it felt even more amazing.

Lucy definitely felt the same because she pulled him closer to herself – which Natsu didn't object at all.

*********

When the Entertainment District began to fill up with more people, Lucy and Natsu left the area and went back to the park where they had first arrived to this city hours ago. It was now very quiet compared to how it had been earlier that day. Lucy didn't mind it at all. She had really enjoyed their good time together and she hoped that they could be able to do it again when they go back in their own time.

Of course, at the same time, she was worried that their romance would also be erased because it hadn't begun before Regina used Horologium Saeculum. They had gotten together after it had happened so would it also be erased if Sae succeeded in changing the timeline back? The answer would be 'yes', and it made Lucy sigh.

”What's up, Luce? Why are you sad?” Natsu asked worried look on his face.

”It's just that when Sae fixes the timeline, we will lose this, Natsu. We won't remember that we were together. We would have to do it all again”, Lucy said.

”Or we can ask Sae _not_ to change our relationship back to what it was”, salmon haired man said. ”I don't want to go back to being best friends. I had no courage to tell you how I felt and I hated it.”

”I don't want to go back to those days either”, Lucy confessed and smiled. ”But she may not agree to change the timeline for our selfish reasons, Natsu.”

”Then we just have to find another way to make it happen before someone ruins everything”, Natsu said.

His stomach growled.

”You're hungry? _AGAIN?_ ” Lucy asked, amazed. ”You have a bottomless stomach!”

”Or maybe the food in the future just sucks”, Natsu pointed out as he began to look around for a place to buy something.

Lucy just shook her head and followed him, wondering how did she even fall in love with a man like Natsu. And how come they fit together so well anyway?

 _Maybe it's just that we are meant to be, just like he said earlier,_ she thought.

*********

Theodore would have been lying to himself if he said he wasn't nervous as he used the elevator to go meet his wife – who had successfully threatened to kill him last time they met – and he really had no idea why Regina wanted to meet him. It confused him. Had she chosen this day to end his existence or had she changed her mind? Sometimes Regina really made him feel annoyed because he couldn't understand his wife's thoughts.

 _Well, the only way to figure it out is to go meet her,_ he thought as the doors of the elevator opened and he stepped into a corridor where her room was. He felt even more nervous as he began to walk down towards the other end of the corridor where room 866 was located and he could feel how his heart was pounding against his chest like a drum.

Was he really this nervous to meet his wife?

 _Or am I just scared that she's actually going to end my life today? Maybe I can talk her out of it instead..._ he thought.

He had finally reached the door he had been looking for. He took a deep breath and raised his hand up to knock but the door opened at that moment. Regina stood in the doorway with eyes that didn't have any murderous look in them unlike when he had seen her last time.

”Come in, Theo”, she said calmly and opened the door wider.

Theodore stepped into the dimly lit room and he immediately felt like he was home because the room was a copy of their bedroom in Zephyrus' palace.

”Well, this surely brings a lot of memories to my mind”, he said while looking around.

”Yes, and that's why I can't kill you no matter how much I want to. It reminds me of all those good things that we had, you see?” Regina said as she closed the door.

”I know that I deserve everything you throw at me so if I'm here for that, do as you please”, Theodore said at the same time. ”I won't even fight back”, he added as he pulled his sword out and put it on the floor.

”There. I'm unarmed.”

Regina raised her eyebrow at him for a minute and then burst out laughing.

”You actually took my threat seriously? I thought you knew me well enough to know that when I'm angry enough, I say things I don't really mean.”

”What the hell...?” Theodore said, feeling like an idiot.

”I was angry because I let you walk free from Zephyrus, remember? Even gave you an artefact to use to open the pathway. I had honestly expected that you would stop trying to change things with Lucy but you didn't, Theo. It made me furious”, Regina explained. ”You probably are aware that my timeline was a lot better than it is now, right? These sky cities exist only because Lisanna decided to let my Soulless Army loose in Fiore. I would never let them roam free like that, and now I need to waste time on finding a way to lure her to me”, Regina continued, and her eyes flashed for a moment with anger.

”So I'm not going to die?” Theodore asked, still trying to process what he had been told.

This woman truly knew how to make him feel confused.

”You're not, lover”, Regina said and she walked over to him. ”You're going to prove me how much you have missed me instead.”

”I think that sounds a lot better than dying”, Theodore smiled as Regina put her arms behind his neck.

”I thought it might make you a lot happier”, Regina said and with that, they kissed.

”This definitely makes me a happy man”, Theodore whispered against her lips as the feeling of a desire that he only felt with this woman washed over him. ”I'm a _very_ happy man right now.”

Regina smiled knowlingly. ”Of course you are, Theodore. I know _you_.”

Then, suddenly, Regina's expression changed into a serious one and she let go of Theodore. She walked to the windows and looked outside.

Theodore curiously followed her.

”There”, Regina said and a evil smile appeared on her lips.

She pointed towards a dark tower on the other side of the city. Theodore looked at that direction and saw a swirl of black smoke enter the tower.

”What was that?” Theodore asked.

”It's the little bitch I want to kill”, Regina said, turning her Queen of Darkness mode on in full force. ”She is going to die by my hand and you and those others aren't going to disturb me.”

”So you know what we are going to do?”

”I'm aware that you want to form a alliance with me against Lisanna but I don't need it”, Regina said. ”I can take her on myself.”

”I take that as a hint that you will send Rogue attack us if we try to interfere?” Theodore guessed and Regina looked at him with a familiar mocking smile.

”Obviously. Even without my Soulless Army, I'm still the Queen of Darkness.”

”Yes, darling, you are”, Theodore said smiling. ”I will tell them tomorrow morning that you're going to take care of Lisanna yourself.”

”Good idea, Theo.”

”And now, where were we...?” Theodore said as he pulled Regina closer. ”Oh yes, now I remember. I was just about to kiss you with all the passion that I have...”

As he did so, Regina kissed him back.

And soon they both forgot everything else in the world.

It was just them.

Nothing else.


	24. The Salvation Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, guys! I'm back with another new chapter for you to read. :) This arc is getting closer and closer to its end and some dramatic things are gonna happen so I'm glad I made a good decision to stop posting two chapters in one go few weeks ago,lol. 
> 
> Happy reading, everyone! I'll post the next chapter on next Monday. :)

Lisanna Strauss watched the city from a penthouse that had been abandoned a long time ago by someone. She smiled because this city had no idea of what was going to happen. They were all happy, and going through preparations for The Salvation Day with no care in the world.

Needless to say, they did amuse Lisanna quite a lot.

They had absolutely no idea that this day of salvation would soon turn into a Judgement Day instead. She had finally reached the final phase of her plans. If everything went well, this plan would take, not only Lucy and her companions but also kill Regina and Rogue. Then Lisanna would be known as the Messenger of Chaos. The one and only, and the world would fall on their knees at her feet. It would be perfect!

Lisanna grinned as she noticed how the storm of the century began to form in the distance, on the sea. But it wouldn't be a normal storm – it would be a powerful, devastating tornado made of darkness and Soulless Army. It would be the same one that she had used when she destroyed Old Hargeon in 876X.

It had only been a test that she had been told to do by her very powerful new ally.

This storm would be so much more powerful – so much more powerful.

She looked at the city once again.

They would never be able to detect this storm in time with their weak defense systems because it wasn't a usual storm...

********

That morning Lucy and others met in the hotel that was located nearby the Entertainment District. They went there because it was called 'Fairy Tail Hotel', and what's more, it was exactly like their guild's headquarters had been in Magnolia. Lucy and Natsu had found it last night after their long date. They had had no idea of where others of their group were staying so instead of going for a search, they just decided to find a place for themselves. They had been lucky enough to find this one and get themselves a room. There had been a lot of people in the hall at that moment and Lucy had been a bit worried that they might not get a room.

”Holy shit”, Gray said when he and others found the hotel. ”This looks exactly like our guild!”

”I know!” Lucy said. ”Our guild is a hotel chain here. Apparently someone at the guild got the idea to let people sleep there for money so they could help rebuilding Magnolia and surrounding areas after the 791X war between Fiore and Reana. And the hotel chain idea was carried on for centuries, so all sky cities has a Fairy Tail Hotel in them now.”

”They even have pictures of our members on the walls”, Natsu said grinning.

”But what does worry me is that Makarov, Wendy, Carla and Mirajane were not seen in those pictures”, Lucy said, furrowing her eyebrows. ”It's like they have never existed on this timeline. I wonder where they are...”

”I've been thinking the same thing”, Erza said. ”It really bugs me that we don't know what happened to them. We know that the guild and other members made it safely to the new timeline but those three are nowhere to be found. I was expecting we'd run into them at some point but nothing has happened.”

”I hope they're not imprisoned somewhere in Regina's dungeon”, Happy said.

”Regina doesn't take prisoners who are no use to her”, said Theodore's voice. ”You don't even need to be so hostile towards her now. She's not hostile towards you.”

”I'm sorry, Theo”, Lucy said and smiled. ”Where did you stay for the night?”

”In Midnight Dreams Hotel with my wife”, Theodore said. ”Nora rudely woke me up this morning with her telepathic message.”

”I'm not sorry about it. We need to talk about yesterday's findings together”, Nora defended herself.

”I suggest we go in and eat breakfast together then”, Lucy said. ”I already informed the staff that the rest of my group will come over too so they prepared us a room where we can eat in peace and talk.”

”I was actually wondering why Nora told me why I shouldn't eat anything”, Theodore said. ”Which means I'm starving.”

”Well, let's go in then”, Natsu said. ”C'mon, Luce~”

He grabbed Lucy by her arm and dragged her back inside.

Everyone else followed the couple looking amused as hell, which made Lucy blush in shame.

The room the hotel staff had reserved for Lucy and the others looked like a real dining room. Lucy was sure that this room could not be found in the original Fairy Tail guild but she really didn't care. She had wanted to have a place where they could talk without interruptions and this was a perfect room for it. It had a long wooden table in the middle of the room which already been set for them.

”Natsu, could you please leave something for us too?” asked Erza, who looked at salmon haired man's mountain of food on his plate.

”I don' ca'e”, Natsu said his mouth full of food.

”Let him be”, Lucy said. ”He woke up hungry.”

”So, how's Regina, Theo?” Sting asked.

”She isn't mad at me anymore”, Theodore said smiling. ”We made up and I stayed with her the whole night. That's all.”

”Did you ask her if she would form an alliance with us against Lisanna?”

”I did, but she declined the offer by saying she wants to deal with Lisanna herself and that she doesn't need our help. Actually, she threatened that she will order Rogue to kill you if you interfere so I suggest that you'll listen my wife and do as she asks”, Theodore answered.

”But she can't beat Lisanna alone”, Lucy said. ”In my vision everyone but me were dead, and she barely had any scratch on her.”

”Could she really be _that_ strong?” Lector wondered as he ate the red snapper that Lucy and Natsu had bought yesterday.

It had been put to a fridge in their room so it wouldn't go rotten so soon. Now Happy, Froche and Lector were chewing their fish happily.

”When we met her in the Old Hargeon, she was definitely stronger than she used to be. Could it be possible that she has gained even more dark powers somehow?” Nora wondered.

”I'm sure that she's affected by the Soulless Army's darkness”, Lucy said. ”As long as she has the control over those monsters, she is also strong.”

”And that's why she easily won us in your vision and in Old Hargeon”, Nora summed up. ”So the Army has to leave her first.”

”I'm sure Regina has a plan on how to do it”, Theodore said. ”She's a smart woman and she knows her Soulless Army better than anyone. She will be able to take it back.”

_Theodore doesn't know that Regina will have to do a great sacrifice in order to get her dark magic back in full force,_ Lucy thought as she glanced towards the man who looked happier than ever before.

Lucy felt really sad because she knew their happiness wouldn't last. She had a hunch that in order to do what she had to do, Regina had to sacrifice something that would distance them from one another once again. Lucy didn't want that to happen.

”So, did anyone see Lisanna in the city yesterday?” Gray asked.

”Me and Regina saw her”, Theodore said. ”She's living in a abandoned penthouse in the Entertainment District's old residential area.”

”We'll go check it out”, Nora said, pointing at herself and Sting. ”If she really is there, Lucy needs to stay far away from that area.”

”And if you find her, what are you going to do?” Theodore asked.

”I'd like to end her existence but I think I'll just imprison her and take her to Regina instead since our favorite evil queen is so eager to kill her.”

********

After breakfast Sting and Nora left for their mission in the Entertainment District. They were going to track Lisanna down, imprison her and then take her to Regina as a gift. Sting couldn't believe that they were actually willingly giving Lisanna up to a woman who had originally made their lives a living hell. Sting didn't trust Regina Heartfilia. No matter how much she had changed since he had seen her for the first time, to him she wasn't trust worthy at all.

”Stop thinking so much, loverboy”, Nora said next to him. ”Your thinking is interrupting my thoughts too.”

”Stop reading my mind then, lovergirl”, Sting said grinning. ”Or would you like to see how I remember our little moment in the shower last night?”

”Shut up, Sting. We're doing something important”, Nora said as she turned around the corner to a street called Theatre Street where there was nothing but theatres on both sides of the street. Sting noticed that there were also a lot of transparent pictures of a good looking woman. He had no idea who she was but he definitely liked the eye candy.

”And stop looking at other women. You're mine”, Nora added when she caught him looking at the brown haired glamour princess.

”Sorry, I just couldn't help it”, Sting said. ”You know I'm always faithful to you.”

”I know, but I can get a little bit jealous sometimes, too, right?” Nora asked grinning. ”It will give me perfect ideas on how to remind you why I'm the girl of your dreams.”

Sting grinned back at her.

”And by the way, that woman in those floating posters is a singer called Kumiko Amairo. She's really popular in this era”, Nora added. She smiled.

”When I wasn't ordered to join your group yet, I travelled through time working on various things that Sae told me to do and I also came here. Of course, back then this city wasn't floating in the sky. It was still on the ground level. I ended up going to this woman's concert because I had free time and she was awesome.”

”Sounds like you had a lot of fun without me”, Sting said.

”It wasn't that fun because I missed you and our guild the whole time. When Sae finally told me that she needs me to protect the Seeress, I immeadiately left to join you instead”, Nora said and actually sniffed.

Sting immediately put her arm around her shoulders. ”It's OK, Nora. We're fine now. We're together and that's all that matters”, he said.

”I know”, Nora said and was able to get herself back together surprisingly fast. ”Hey, I think we are here now”, she suddenly said and hurried towards a closed up gate.

”Hmm, judging by the look of it, that area is completely destroyed”, Sting said as he looked through the glass gate. On the surface of the glass there was a text that said,

_Warning!_

_An Unstable structure ahead_

_No civilians are allowed to enter!_

Sting furrowed his eyebrows. Unstable structures ahead? What did that mean? And most of all, was it really that safe for Sting and Nora to enter this area of the city?

”I wonder what this means”, he said aloud. ”It says all civilians are prohibited to enter this area because of unstable structures.”

”Come on, loverboy. We got a job to do...” Nora said as she climbed over the gate.

”I'm coming, babe”, Sting said and jumped over the gate.

They carefully walked towards the area that had once been full of people. Everything was full of dust. Even the roads were partially full of it as well as rubble of buildings that had fallen down to the ground. The road was also broken. There were huge cracks on it – a lot of them were so wide that Sting could easily see the Sea of Darkness underneath the city. He really wished they had brought Exceeds with them now. This place was dangerous! With Lector and Froche they could fly over the rubble and stay alive. In all the buildings windows were broken, and parts of them were missing completely.

”Nora, I think this place is a bit too dangerous”, Sting said aloud.

”I agree”, Nora said. ”That's why we are going to my teleport ability to check out the buildings as fast as we could before the officials notices that we're here.”

”Let's do it then”, Sting said as she pulled Nora close to him. ”This gives me yet another chance to pull your nice body against mine...”

”Why do you turn everything into something sexual all the time, Sting? It's getting annoying”, Nora laughed as the golden smoke covered them up.

When it disappeared, the two of them were standing in one of the buildings. Apartment was messy, dusty and looked like the powers of the nature had wiped it out completely. It was even missing the roof along with the other upper residences.

”I don't sense any traces of darkness here. Let's try the other one”, Nora just said and the golden smoke covered them up again.

And once they reappeared from the smoke, they were in another house. They repeated this method over and over again, and every time Nora would just shake her head or just sigh in frustration.

Sting just looked around the destroyed houses and wondered what had been so powerful to destroy this area completely.

”Well, there is no building here”, Nora said as they reappeared from the golden smoke after repeating the teleporting for who knows how many times.

They had reached a area where everything was destroyed. Not even a single tree or a house was standing. Also, it looked like that a part of the whole area had flown out because few of the roads met a dead end and few of them looked like part of them had flown off while the other end was still intact.

”I'm pretty convinced that we are in a area that was destroyed by a tornado”, Nora added. ”I don't remember seeing any information on a possible conflict between Reana and Fiore from recent years. The most recent conflict was the one from 870X. After that the two countries hasn't fought at all.”

”I think it would be safe to say that Lisanna has hidden herself well or she has gone to somewhere else”, Sting said. ”Because to be honest, I'd like to leave this place. It's way too dangerous to be here.”

”Yeah, let's go”, Nora agreed. ”I think I need to rest for few hours now. I feel kinda weak.”

”Let's go to the nearest hotel and take a nap then.”

”Are you sure you just wanna sleep?”

”I don't know. What do you think, beautiful?”

********

When the group slipt up earlier to get more information on Lisanna's whereabouts – especially after Nora informed everyone that she was nowhere to be found on Entertainment District – the rest of the group had decided that they would continue their search. Of course, since Lucy was Lisanna's main target now, Erza and Natsu decided to stay with her while the others go search for the white haired demon.

To Gray calling a member of his family a enemy still felt quite weird, but he was sure – and he didn't know if others had come to the same conclusion – that Lisanna had fallen too deep into the darkness and they did not have any way to save her anymore. Gray had been sure of it last time they had met. Lisanna was completely insane, and her newly found control over the Soulless Army had gone to her head.

”Why did they put us together?” Lector said. ”If we meet the demon, we don't stand a chance.”

”I think Erza was way too trustful to what Theodore said about Lisanna's whereabouts. She was sure that Nora and Sting could succeed in their plan”, Gray answered the question.

”I want to find Rogue”, Froche said and sighed, looking sad.

”Don't worry, we'll find him and smack some sense into him”, Lector said.

”You sound like Nora.”

”She's right though.”

”Wait”, Happy said as he flew down from the sky. ”We gotta hide. I saw Lisanna in the district up ahead and she's coming towards us.”

For a moment Gray did consider on taking Lisanna on, but then he remembered that Lucy had seen him die in that battle so he just nodded as a agreement and he and the three Exceeds quickly hid behind a pile of boxes. He soon realized that they did it just in time. If they had waited a little bit longer, they would have found themselves in a battle with this woman and Gray definitely didn't want that anymore.

Lisanna stopped walking for a moment on the other side of the box pile and looked around with a suspicious look in her eyes. Gray couldn't help but feel how his heart began to race as Lisanna just stood there looking around as if she was looking for something or someone to stab with her Dark Javelins.

”Hmph, I was sure that I saw that stupid cat fly towards this direction...” Lisanna mumbled. ”I still haven't had my revenge on messing with my Memory Loss Potion plans...”

Gray felt chills go down his spine when he heard her voice. It was so scary, and emotionless. And what's more, she revealed she had plans for Happy.

_So she's still pissed that Happy told Lucy about Natsu's weird behavior? Well, looks like we should have left Happy with Lucy..._ Gray thought as he looked at the blue Exceed, who was shivering with fear.

”Oh well, they will all get what they deserve later tonight”, Lisanna said and walked away. ”That stupid group can't stop what I have prepared for you, messed up world. I'm only doing you a favor...” she spoke as she went.

Gray looked behind her as she went until she disappeared into a swirl of black smoke. Only then was he sure that it was safe to come out from his hiding place.

”That woman scares the hell outta me”, Lector said. ”She's insane!”

”I think she has gone insane because she can't handle darkness at all”, Gray said. ”Maybe if she had a higher tolerance for it and maybe if she wasn't so easy to manipulate, she wouldn't be in this state.”

”You're right”, Happy said.

”Excuse me, did you just see Lisanna go through here?” asked Rogue's voice and then a swirl of black smoke appeared next to Gray. Rogue walked through and looked around.

”You just missed her”, Gray told him.

”She knows I'm tracking her down then, huh?” Rogue said. ”Well then, I will put my traps on then...” he then disappeared into a swirl of black smoke.

”For a moment there I thought he was going to fight us”, Lector said.

”I think we haven't ruined Regina's plans yet so there is no need to attack us yet”, Gray assumed. ”But I think we should head back to the others.”

”Yeah, because I think Lisanna has already put her evil plans into motion”, Happy said.

”You know, I believe so, too”, Gray agreed.

********

After few hours of tracking down Lisanna, they regrouped at the Fairy Tail Hotel's hall. They took the most furthest table available and made sure that nobody would interrupt them. Lucy, Natsu and Erza were the first ones to arrive, then came Nora and Sting from upstairs – which surprised Lucy quite a bit – and eventually Gray and the Exceeds. Even Theodore appeared from a swirl of black smoke which definitely surprised Lucy.

”What the hell, Theo?” she demanded to know.

”Regina teleported me here”, Theodore said and smiled. ”I haven't been taken in by the darkness. Don't worry. I can't let it take me because I'm the small ray of light in Regina's darkness. Or that's what she says.”

”Well, alright then. I believe you”, Lucy said. ”Sit down.”

”So, did you find Lisanna?” Theodore asked as he sat down on the wooden bench.

”We were only able to find traces of darkness from Entertainment District”, Nora said. ”The area was so dangerous that we were scared to even walk there so I teleported us from house to house until I got exhausted. We came here to take a nap.”

”And a little bit of something else, too”, Sting grinned.

”I don't need that type of information”, Lucy informed them. Then she looked at Gray.

”Did you find anything?”

”I saw her coming from the Zephyrus District in the East Block”, raven haired boy answered. ”Well, Happy saw her and she saw him so she followed him and we were able to hide just in time but I did hear her talk. From what I understood, she has already put her plans into motion.”

”Did she say what she's doing?” Erza asked.

”She didn't say that but I assume it's something huge because she said something about 'making a favor for this messed up world' whatever that means.”

”Oh, that doesn't sound good”, Nora sighed.

”I agree”, Natsu said. ”And we have no idea what's gonna happen.”

”We also met Rogue”, Happy said. ”He also has some sort of plans ready for Lisanna.”

”We can't work on our mission anymore”, Lucy said. ”Especially if Rogue has plans for her. I have a hunch that if we continue, Regina _will_ give him a order to put us down.”

”So we're just gonna give up?” Natsu asked. ”I don't like that.”

”If she comes to us, we'll fight her then but until that happens, we should let Regina deal with it as she wants”, Lucy explained.

”Also, I have this desire to check out these Salvation Day celebrations that are starting soon”, she confessed.

”Well, if you think we should give up then we probably should. After all, you're the leader”, Gray said.

”Since when did I become a leader?”

”You're the Seeress of Guidance, Lucy. You're guiding us through the timeline”, Nora said.

”I have never thought of it that way”, Lucy said.

Suddenly the sirens in the city went off. Because there was a siren just outside the hotel, the sound was loud and painful to listen to. Lucy and the others covered their ears while the people in the hall looked around with scared expressions. But then the sirens got silenced and there was a announcement,

” _Citizens of the Sky City Crocus, this is the daily City Defense And Evacuation System Test. Please do not panic. We are under attack by an unidentified threat. Please head towards the nearest evacuation gate immediately. I repeat, we are under attack by an unidentified threat. Please head towards the nearest evacuation gate immediately.”_

Sirens went off again, and were on for a couple of minutes until they were silenced. But they were not done yet with their testing. Soon everyone saw how huge a blue transparent screen appeared in the guild hall. A different type of a siren sound that went off outside. The text on the huge blue screen said,

” _This is the weekly Tornado Warning System Test. Please do not panic. There are no detected tornadoes in the area as of now.”_

After a couple of minutes sirens went off again, and the blue screen disappeared. People in the guild hall looked relieved that these were only tests. Lucy couldn't help but wonder if these type of things happened regularly in this world. She wouldn't be that surprised if it was so because Lisanna was still lurking somewhere and nobody knew why she was actually going to destroy this city.

”Wow, doesn't that make you feel nostalgic?” Gray said. ”When we arrived to Crocus last time in 794X, they also tested their defense systems.”

”Sometimes when the timeline is messed up, a paradox is a time loop where things gets repeated”, Nora said. ”Sae explained it to me once.”

”So there must be a time gate here as well somewhere, and a artefact that opens it”, Lucy said. ”I just can't sense neither of them anywhere.”

”We'll probably find them when it's time to leave.”

”I hope you're right, Nora. It would annoy me a lot if we got stuck here.”

********

Regina Heartfilia couldn't believe that she had actually been able to reach this state again. She knew very well that as long as she was with Theodore the weaker her powers became, but at the same time she didn't care about it. Although she did feel a bit worried because she wanted to end Lisanna's existence before the demon would destroy the last bits of Regina's timeline.

Yes, she had destroyed the old timeline, but she had had no plans to let her new timeline get destroyed too. It was actually kind of funny how things changed – she had always thought that Lisanna would be faithful to her and her cause but as usual, she was too blind. She began to trust people way too easily, and usually they ended up betraying her somehow.

”I'd bet all the money I have to know what's on your mind, Regina”, said Theodore's voice.

”I guess I'm just a little bit worried that I might not be powerful enough to take over the Army again”, Regina answered and sighed. ”It's because I let myself love you.”

”You don't want to love me then?” Theodore said as he took a sip of the glass of red wine. They were having dinner together in one of the most well known restaurants in Sky Lanes District. Of course, they did cause some confusion among citizens of the area because usually Regina never came out from her hotel room. But they had no idea that Theodore knew how to talk her into changing her mind.

”It's not that, Theo. I do want to love you, and I do, but these feelings makes me so weak. You remember last time that I had to suffer from these things a lot, right?”

”Yes, but I promise it won't happen again”, Theodore said and took her hand in his. ”I want us to go back home, and take our daughter with us. We are a family and we have to stick to together.”

”Well, first we have to deal with that annoying traitor of mine”, Regina pointed out and even now a reminder of Lisanna's betrayal made her want to go on a killing spree until she would come out from her pathetic hiding place in the Entertainment District.

”Calm down, my fierce wife”, Theodore said smiling. ”You're starting to form a black aura around yourself.”

”I'm sorry”, Regina said and took a deep breath. ”It's just that I'm so angry. And so, so very betrayed...”

”I know, but let's try to forget it for tonight. We are going to go watch the parade after all. Let's just relax and continue tracking down that kid later, okay?”

”You are way too good with words, Theodore Darcas.”

”What do you mean?”

”You always know what to say to make me stop thinking of the million different ways to kill that stupid girl.”

”I think it's a good thing.”

”Right. Whatever you say, Theo”, Regina said as she took a sip of her wine glass.

She really enjoyed her time. Even if she was still mad at Lisanna for betraying her, Regina was able to give it a rest for a moment so she could have a romantic dinner with the only man she had ever loved.

Yes, she was a very independent woman, but this man knew how to sweep her off her feet quite successfully and Regina didn't bother stopping it from happening. It was because she liked it.

”When did the parade start...?” Theodore suddenly mumbled and opened a pamphlet he had been carrying around since the morning and opened it. ”7:00pm? We have enough time for dessert...”

Regina couldn't help but laugh at him. ”A dessert, Theo? Are you a kid?”

”No, but I have always loved to have dessert with the woman I love”, Theodore said smiling as he waved towards one of the waiters – Regina had noticed that none of the waitresses in the restaurant wanted to serve them anything – and he came to their table. Theodore gave him a order and the waiter bowed before he turned around and walked away.

”I think that waiter is a Reanian”, Theodore said.

”How can you tell?”

”He bowed to us. None of these Fiorean waiters doesn't.”

”Do I detect feelings of disappointment from you, Theo?” Regina asked and took another sip of the glass of red wine.

”Of course not, my dear, I just pointed out this extremely pointless piece of information”, Theodore answered and smiled. He squeezed her hand. ”I'm happy to be here.”

”I'm happy, too”, Regina admitted.

********

After spending hours on taking part in different attractions in the central area of Crocus, Lucy felt exhausted. She should have known that Natsu and Happy together would be overly energized and she would be dragged along everywhere. She did admit that the idea had been hers, but she hadn't expected it to go this crazy.

But she didn't complain.

Hanging around with her best friends was exactly what she had been dreaming about while being in captivity in Regina's castle for months.

So when they had checked out all the attractions at the festivities area, they head out to the Skyline Highway, which had been closed earlier for the parade preparations. There were a lot of people on both sides of the highway already when Lucy, Natsu and Happy arrived. It was also the first time they could actually see the new, modern royal palace at the end of the said highway. She could also see a huge transparent screens that were floating on the both sides of the highway. There was a woman and a man on the screen holding microphones in their hands as they spoke.

” _Welcome to our annual Salvation Day Parade! Every year these festivities are held in one of the four sky cities, and this year's location is our very own Sky City Crocus! Tom, how does this year's parade differ from the other ones?”_ woman in white hair said excitedly.

” _Well, this year's theme is 'Historical Events', so we are going to see spectacular show of the most important things that has happened in the past until today, Carol”,_ man with brown hair and blue outfit said. _”The parade will begin from the Hope Terminal and finish on the front yard of the royal palace where the king Victor E. Fiore and the Empress Regina Heartfilia will have a speech. I believe that Emperor Theodore will also be joining the meeting since he has been seen in the city. Theodore is a very private person. He rarely comes out from the imperial palace in Zephyrus so this is a very rare sight for all of us. We can see both rulers of Reanian empire together with our own eyes!”_

” _Yes, it is a rare sight to see those two together, but whenever they are seen, nobody can't deny what a gorgeous pair they are”,_ Carol said. _”What do you think, Tom, will we also see the Seeress?”_

” _I surely hope so since there has been a lot of reports saying that she's been seen in the town and that she's staying at the Fairy Tail Hotel”,_ Tom said and smiled. _”But enough of that for now. I'm sure the Seeress has her reasons to keep low profile during her stay and I suggest that we let her enjoy the festivities in peace.”_

” _Yes. As for the other news. The weather today is windier than expected, but we were told to proceed with the parade anyway because no storms were detected in any sky city. So let's begin our parade!”_ Carol said.

Citizens in the city cheered in excitement and waved their small flags.

”They know I'm here even though I tried to be as quiet as possible”, Lucy told Natsu as the transparent screen switched to the Hope Terminal where the floating parade vehicles had began to move down the Skyline Highway.

”It's pretty hard to keep a low profile with someone like Natsu in your company”, Happy said, causing Natsu to glare at him for a moment.

Happy only grinned as he put a green cap on his head that had '200' written on the front. Then he proceeded to eat more red snapper – which Lucy had bought for him a while ago.

”I think it's more like because Theodore has been with us”, Lucy said. ”He is the emperor of Reana after all.”

”I bet he's the one we should blame for this”, Natsu said.

”I'm not blaming anyone, silly.”

”Why don't we do that even just a little bit?”

”Why do you want to blame someone? It's not a big problem. Nobody has bothered us”, Lucy laughed. ”Natsu, you're so weird sometimes!”  
”Shut it, you're the weird one here!” Natsu said grinning.

”I'm not!” Lucy said, but a loud wind made her words unheard.

” _Wow, we seem to be experiencing a powerful wind burst at the moment”,_ Tom yelled into his microphone as Carol next to him tried her best to keep her outfit in control.

” _I'm sure there's absolutely no need to worry. Let's continue our celebrations as planned!”_

No matter how calmly the man spoke, Lucy couldn't help but feel restless. She had began to remember more details of her vision, and as she looked around, she couldn't help but swallow hard as she noticed the darkening clouds in the distance. Was there a storm coming? Why didn't these people notice it?

_I hope nothing will happen until we'll regroup... We're all apart and who knows where. If something happens, we'll waste a lot of time by searching for each other..._ Lucy thought and bit her lip a bit as she looked up. _Maybe the shadows just makes the rainy clouds look more threatening than they actually are,_ she added to calm herself down.

But she couldn't shake off the feeling of discomfort. She knew something was going to happen and all these people would suffer so much. It was very hard to concentrate on the ongoing parade. But she couldn't leave because there were so many other people standing there, waving their hands and flags at the people in the parade cars and airships.

Lucy noticed that the wind was getting stronger and stronger. She could also feel a weird shaking feel beneath her feet and furrowed her eyebrows.

_This isn't supposed to happen,_ she thought as she looked around – she noticed how stuff flew in the air everywhere.

She could also see power lines going out because of the fierce wind.

There was a loud crash that came from the Entertainment District's residental area ruins.

A lightning bolt flashed, followed by a loud rumbling sound from the sky which made the citizens scream in surprise.

And then, to everyone's horror, the sirens everywhere in the city went off.


	25. Defiers Of Fate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Sorry I couldn't update this story yesterday, I was really busy with other things and completely forgot I was supposed to post another chapter for Shattered here. But I'm posting one now and things will be (hopefully) epic for you. I wrote the chapter listening to Japanese video games' soundracks so the mood might be intense like those games are. I love them so much♥
> 
> Happy reading! :)

Another lightning stroke, and in that flash of light everyone was able to see a huge, black colored tornado that was sucking in the Entertainment District's buildings, vehicles and even airships. People on the Skyline Highway were in panic as they noticed the storm. Even more they panicked when a announcement came from the loudspeakers everywhere in the city;

” _Attention all civilians in the Sky City Crocus. This is a state of emergency. We are under attack by an unidentified threat. Please head towards the nearest evacuation gate immediately. I repeat, this is a state of emergency. We are under attack by an unidentified threat. Please head towards the nearest evacuation gate immediately.”_

”It's the Soulless Army!” someone yelled in the audience. ”Run for your lives and hide!”

Lucy looked at the tornado again – it had broken up into a huge cloud of darkness that was made of the Soulless. It flew into the city, through the houses' windows, destroying everything in sight. They attacked the town's people, who were in panic.

Lucy felt horrified as she had to witness how one woman was caught up by a Soulless that began to rip her soul out of her body. Woman screamed in both pain and horror until she died, and a new Soulless was born that began immediately do the same to the nearest citizen.

Lucy felt how someone pushed her out of their way – she felt how her insides froze as she fell off the Skyline Highway into nothingless. She screamed in because she knew there was no way she would be saved now! How could anyone reach her in time to save her? She had already seen that Natsu was busy with trying to keep the Soulless away from her! This was definitely her end!

”Lucy, take my hand!” she heard someone's voice and opened her eyes – which she hadn't even realized to be closed – and saw Nora coming at her her arm reached out for Lucy.

Lucy grabbed the hand and then they were suddenly covered in golden smoke. When the smoke disappeared again, she was sitting on the Skyline Highway again, panting and shivering in horror.

”Lucy, you gotta get yourself back together! We can't stay here!” Nora said and shook her shoulders. ”There are more and more Soulless coming into the city as we speak!”

Lucy took a deep breath and nodded. ”You're right... It's just that I fell...”

”But I saved you! Come on, we gotta move!” Nora said and pulled her up from the ground as a huge explosion from the direction of the royal palace shook the whole area.

”I think this whole thing is way too familiar”, Natsu said as he appeared in front of them. ”Minus the explosion of course.”

”My theory of a time loop paradox is a right one then”, Nora said. ”This reminds me of 794X Crocus a lot.”

”Do you think Lisanna might use Horologium Saeculum again?” Lucy asked.

”I doubt it. From what I have seen, her objective is to destroy this place and kill everyone in sight with no mercy. Which is what Regina never did.”

Their discussion was interrupted with a set of screams nearby where a group of people was trying to find a way to safety but both side roads had already collapsed. A swirl of black smoke appeared above them and a set of familiar Dark Javelins flew from the cloud into the group, followed by Lisanna Strauss, who only smiled evilly at the people at her feet and ordered her Javelins to slice the poor people again.

Lucy felt disgusted and hopeless when she saw the blood everywhere on the asphalt. After Lisanna finished her horrible massacre, she looked amused when a woman crawled to the edge of the destroyed sidewalk and threw herself down into nothingness. Lisanna only shook her head and then walked towards Lucy and others with a determined look in her eyes.

”You people are stupid as hell. I created that Soulless Army Tornado and none of you noticed it in time”, Lisanna told them in a mocking tone. ”I have had a lot of fun trying to make you see what's been going on for the last two days and you still didn't figure it out. You could have stopped me in time if you had read the signs right but you didn't.”

”You need to stop this nonsense, Lisanna”, Lucy said. ”Do you have any idea of how much damage this will cause to the timeline? This isn't meant to happen!”

”Yes, I do know”, Lisanna answered and for a moment Lucy felt hopeful that this white haired woman wasn't as evil as she seemed to be, but that was until she said,

”But I do not care.”

”Lisanna, Mira and Elfman wouldn't be very proud of you if they knew what kind of devastation you're causing here”, Natsu said. ”Do you really want that!?”

”I do not care”, Lisanna repeated. ”You brainwashed them to turn their backs on me in the first place so I don't give a damn about them anymore.”

”You're absolutely out of your mind, Lisanna! This isn't you at all!”

”That's right. I'm better. Stronger. Dangerous”, Lisanna said. ”So, Lucy, how are we gonna do this? Are you going to give up and die or do you wanna play some hide and seek first?” she added and then swung her Javelin to cut off the head of a imperial soldier that approached her with a gun pointed right at her head.

”Hmph, pathetic”, Lisanna just said as the soldier fell to the ground and a group of Soulless began to rip his soul off his body.

”I still have time to stop you”, Lucy said. ”I'm not going to let you kill everyone!”

”Oh, what are you gonna do then? You don't have any offensive magic in your use, blonde bitch, so you better say goodbyes to your fuckboy and die instead”, Lisanna said.

”Sorry but you're not getting a chance to kill her”, Nora said before she began to use her gun in a rapid speed while with other hand she grabbed Lucy's hand again. ”Natsu, Sting, keep her busy while I take Lucy to safety!” she said as the golden smoke began to cover them up.

”No, you will not!” Lisanna yelled, summoned a set of Dark Javelins and threw them at the girls.

The last thing Lucy saw was how Natsu and Sting jumped in front of them...

When the golden smoke disappeared, Lucy and Nora were in another location in the city. It looked completely different than the other parts of the city – it was more wealthy, yet classy looking area. It was in complete chaos as the people tried to get to the evacuation station in time. Lucy could see Soulless there ripping people's souls off their bodies which made chaos even worse. There were also fire burning in countless places.

”Don't worry, they'll be fine, Lucy”, Nora said, as she reloaded her gun and then shot the nearest Soulless. It turned into white smoke and exploded. ”We gotta hurry.”

”Where are we going and how do you know they'll be fine?” Lucy asked. ”They just jumped in front of Lisanna's Javelins...”

”Do you really think that Natsu and Sting will die? They are both strong, and their elements are Lisanna's weaknesses. They will survive.”

”But Lisanna knows how to manipulate Natsu, Nora...”

Nora stopped walking and worried look appeared on her face. ”I forgot that completely...”

”We should go back, Nora. What if she turns them into her slaves? She did have a bottle of Memory Loss Potion with her in Zephyrus 875X.”

”But you'll die if we go back, Lucy, and I'm not going to let it happen! Sae needs you!”

”But –”

”No buts, Lucy. We need to keep moving and trust Natsu and Sting to keep her at bay until we've found a gate where I could throw you into. Then I will get everyone else and open my gate and we'll meet in Caelum, okay?” Nora said in a strict voice. ”Sae needs you, Lucy. You have to survive. She ordered me to make sure that you'll make it, no matter what. Please understand.”

Lucy sighed in defeat. She agreed.

Natsu and Sting would get out of there alive, right? After all, they had Happy and Lector there. If things got bad, they would help them escape, right? Lucy wanted to believe that so much, but at the same time she couldn't forget the vision she had had about everyone's death. She didn't want that, but at the same time she also knew that she had to leave this city as soon as possible.

So she nodded as a answer, and Nora smiled, looking relieved.

”Come on then, Lucy”, she said and they walked deeper into the area that was quickly turning into a flaming, smoking pile of rubble. ”We're in the remains of Sky Lanes District”, she explained. ”Regina and Theodore are staying here and I thought we'd be safe with them for a moment. I doubt Lisanna wants to go against Regina yet.”

”I'm not sure if Regina wants to see me though”, Lucy said, feeling suspicious. ”This is the woman who threatened to kill me the next time we meet...”

”She didn't kill Theodore either even though she had a reason to do so”, Nora said. ”Here it is. Damn, this place is messed up...” she added as she looked at the doorway into the hotel – doors and windows were blown into the entrance hall and decorations on the yard were on fire. The logo laid on the ground.

Nora stepped into the hotel and Lucy quietly followed her.

The entrance hall was in complete chaos just like the rest of the city. Alarms were off and everyone was running in panic.

”Hmm, ha, over there”, Nora said and she took Lucy's hand into hers and began to push through the crowd to the other end of the entrance hall where Regina and Theodore stood together. Both of them looked very serious, and determined.

”There you are”, Nora greeted them, causing Regina to glare at her with a angry look for a moment but the Warrior didn't care. ”Everything's fucked up everywhere”, she just said.

”What's going on?” Theodore said. ”They only told everyone to evacuate as fast as possible but there was no reason given.”

”It's the Soulless Army”, Lucy said. ”There was a huge tornado that carried them into the city!”

”And you didn't sense darkness that strong?” Regina mocked her. ”You really are pathetic and weak for a Seeress.”

”I'm still going to end you one day”, Lucy shot back. ”You still have to pay what you did to the world in the first place, Regina.”

Regina looked amused. ”You do have guts to say that to me but we all know you'll end up using someone else to do the job, Lucy. You don't have it in you.”

”We'll see about that”, Lucy spat.

Regina looked at her for a moment in complete silence until a look of understanding appeared on her face. Then she smiled.

”Indeed, we will see”, was all she said and then she turned her attention to Theodore. ”I think it's time for you and me to start our hunting trip, darling.”

Theodore nodded as he pulled out his sword. ”I'm ready whenever you are, Regina.”

”What are you two going to do?” Nora asked, looking confused. ”I was hoping you'd tell us where the artefact for the gate is!”

”There is no time gate or a artefact until Lisanna is dead”, Regina said as the black smoke covered her and Theodore. She smiled menacingly as she said 'until Lisanna is dead', and that made Lucy feel shivers go down her spine.

”Oh hell, we gotta wait until Lisanna's dead until we can leave!?” Nora said, looking frustrated.

”I wonder why did she look so understanding when she looked at me...” Lucy said.

”I have no idea”, Nora said. ”What should we do now? I thought they'd be able to help us.”

”I think we need to go back and beat Lisanna up ourselves”, Lucy answered with a look of determination. ”I don't care if Regina tells Rogue to kill us first. We need the artefact and if ending Lisanna's life is the only way then so be it. I'm done running away from her.”

”Fine then”, Nora said. ”But I will safe you if it gets way too dangerous, ok?”

********

The fight between Natsu, Sting and Lisanna had lasted for a while now and even though she had gotten some damage, it didn't stop her from trying to kill them. Natsu hadn't expected this woman to be this powerful. Last time he had gone against her she had been weaker, and eventually she ran away so Natsu didn't even know who would have won that battle. But now he wasn't sure at all. Lisanna was powerful, and she relied on those Javelins of hers a lot. She could even use them as a shield – which she hadn't done last time – and she attacked relentlessly so Natsu and Sting had to defend themselves way too often for their liking.

Not to mention the fact that he had no idea where Nora had taken Lucy. He was sure that Sting knew where the girls had gone to but refused to tell him – which was a good move because if Lisanna knew, she would go there at once.

”This bitch knows what she's doing”, Sting said quietly as they hid behind a destroyed house in the city – they weren't even sure what part of the city they were in anymore – from the set of Dark Javelins that Lisanna threw at them constantly with no mercy.

”We have no way to surprise her because she's so smart...”

”I think we might be screwed”, Natsu agreed. ”And I'm not gladly admitting it.”

”Me neither, but we may have to run away from this soon.”

”Did you know”, Lisanna's voice said from behind the house ruins. ”that I'm only playing with you two? I'm still going to enslave you two once this world is completely under my control.”

”What is she talking about?” Happy asked.

He and Lector both looked like they were about to fall asleep from all the flying from district to district in order to keep Lisanna busy.

”You will definitely love it, Natsu. You enjoyed being my slave once before, too”, Lisanna continued.

As she spoke, Natsu felt disgusted as the memories of them together flashed through his mind. He definitely didn't want to remember those days of lies!

”And I'll make sure that Sting will also enjoy it. Nora doesn't have to know, you see”, Lisanna went on. She then laughed. ”Do you honestly think that I don't know where she took Lucy?”

”Shit”, Sting swore and stood up. ”Holy Ray!” he said and shot his attack at the girl who swore. She then laughed coldly. ”Oh yes, I know perfectly well that Nora took her to the Sky Lanes District where Regina Heartfilia is with that man of hers.”

_Why's Luce going to meet Regina?_ Natsu thought furiously. _That's really dangerous! What the hell is wrong with Nora!?_

”How do you know where Lucy and Nora are!” Sting asked furiously, ready to attack again.

Natsu also stood up and looked at the evil looking white haired woman he had thought he knew.

”Oh, I'm sure your precious Seeress will soon figure it out herself. Then she will pay the price, and while doing so, she will end Nora's existence”, Lisanna said slowly.

”What the hell do you mean!? Luce isn't a murderer like you!” Natsu yelled.

”But many people has been killed in order to keep her safe”, Lisanna pointed out. ”It has always been so, and always will be. People around her will get hurt so you should just let me end her life.”

”I will never allow you to do that!”

”Too late”, Lisanna smirked and snapped her fingers.

Black ropes appeared from the ground and tied both Natsu and Sting tightly so they were unable to move. Lisanna grinned as she walked to them and squatted. She then touched Natsu's cheek with her finger.

”You're nothing but a toy to the goddess you're working for, Natsu Dragneel. You, as well, Sting Eucliffe. It's better if you just back off and let me deal with the so called Seeress how I please. You will become my slaves, you want it or not”, she whispered and then laughed as the black smoke covered her.

”She's going after them!” Natsu yelled and tried to move. ”We gotta warn them!”

”We can't move, Natsu-san!” Sting said but the ropes didn't let them do anything.

********

After Lisanna had left, Happy and Lector appeared from behind the house ruins to help their friends to get free. But their paws weren't powerful enough to open the ropes.

”You gotta go get Erza and Gray!” Natsu said.

”But the Soulless is approaching you...!” Happy cried.

”We still got our magic, we'll be fine. Just make sure you find them and soon!” Sting told them.

Happy knew they didn't have no other choice but to go find the others so he just nodded as a answer and rose on his wings again – Lector followed – and the two Exceeds flew into the sky. Happy was horrified to see the destruction the floating city had experienced after the Soulless had attacked. There were multiple areas and houses up in flames and no one was helping the people trapped in those houses. And the Soulless... most of them were concentrated on the central part of the city where the soldiers were desperately trying to hold them back as the thousands of people tried to get to the Hope Terminal and away from the dying city. There were already countless of airships floating in the air and Happy was sure that people were watching in horror how their beautiful home was getting destroyed.

”Where should we look for Erza and Gray?” Lector asked.

”I'm not sure, but I have a feeling they're trying to protect the people who are going to the Hope Terminal! Come on!” Happy said and descended from the sky towards the central park.

His guess turned out to be right – as they descended towards the ground, they were able to see Erza and Gray doing exactly what Happy had thought they might be doing. Froche was also with them, holding onto Erza as best as he could as she swung her swords in the Flame Empress Armor. Gray was freezing up the Soulless with his magic and the soldiers shot them into pieces immediately afterwards.

”Erza! Gray!” Happy yelled.

”Happy!?” Gray said. ”Where's Natsu!?”

”He and Sting-kun are trapped in the Zephyrus District ruins!” Lector said. ”We tried to help but it's no use, you gotta help!”

”What happened?” Erza asked as she sliced another Soulless into pieces with her sword.

”Lisanna attacked us, and Nora took Luce somewhere and then Natsu and Sting fought her but she tricked them and –”

”I get the picture, Happy”, Erza said. She turned towards the commander of the soldiers.

”Do you think you can keep the Soulless away from the citizens if we go help our friends?”

”Yes, Miss Scarlet, I believe so.”

”Alright then, Happy. We're coming with you. Show us the way!”

And then, right at that moment, the group saw a golden whirlwind appear behind the buildings of the West Block of the town.

”What was that?” Gray asked, as the whirlwind destroyed everything in its path.

It was followed by flashes of golden and black light, and then, another whirlwind appeared and swept away even more buildings. This time the whirlwind came straight at the central park and once it disappeared, a lot of stuff flew to the ground – there were even Dark Javelins among the debris, too.

”Oh no”, Happy whispered as they looked at the bloody Javelin.

He didn't want to know who's blood was on it.

********

”Are you sure, Master? You don't need my assistance here?”

”I am absolutely sure about that, Rogue”, Regina answered as she looked at the dying city from the roof of a building which was still standing.

Even though she had always wanted to see Crocus getting destroyed and had finally done it herself months ago, she still did not expect the destruction that Lisanna had caused. This city was completely unable to function at the time of the crisis. Had that white haired bitch really done research before destroying everything? Probably.

”Then what kind of commands do you have for me?” Rogue asked.

”I want you to go to the headquarters and seal the pathway until I'll return. I have a feeling that causing The End of Days upon this world isn't Lisanna's only objective”, Regina answered.

”What are you planning, if I may ask, Master?”

”Something that could destroy both me and her if she is weak enough”, Regina said, smiling evilly.

”I see. I wish you good luck on your mission, and I hope it will be successful”, Rogue said and disappeared into a swirl of black smoke.

Even though Lisanna thought she could rule the Army, she was completely wrong and Regina was going to show her the true face of the much feared Queen of Darkness nickname Regina had been given a long time ago. Of course, she would have to make a sacrifice if she wanted to succeed with her plan but in order to get back what Lisanna stole from her Regina probably had no other choice. Some people would probably blame her as the culprit for the attack because of her past hatred towards Fiore, but she didn't really care. She just wanted the Army to go back to where they belonged – back to her own soul.

”Regina, do you sense Lisanna somewhere in the city?” Theodore asked, bringing her back to the reality.

”I have been thinking of other things”, Regina confessed.

”What, that's not like you at all!”

”I'm sorry, Theo”, she said and then grinned as she saw a flash of black light beams fly from the sky somewhere into the district behind the Zephyrus District's ruins. ”And I don't think I need to scan the city. I just found our little prey. She's over there.”

”Shall we go there now?” Theodore asked.

”I think Lucy has something to settle with Lisanna first. I'd like to see how strong that little girl actually is since she thinks she can take me on easily”, Regina said as she saw a golden whirlwind sweep through the district.

”What do you mean, Regina?” Theodore asked.

”I want to see if Lucy has already become aware of the little weakness that all Heartfilias has in our hearts”, Regina told him. ”Dark magic. Most of our hearts and souls are pure, but even the most purest hearts will fall into darkness if they're provoked enough. That's the curse of our family.”

”What does that mean?”

”It means that soon Lucy will find out that the darkness has always been inside her soul. I have always sensed it in her. Lisanna knows exactly what to tell her to provoke her.”

”But wouldn't she fall like you did?”

”I doubt it”, Regina said. ”Lucy has higher tolerance for darkness for some reason. That's why I had to take someone else instead...”

”No way...” Theodore's face had realization written all over it.

”Oh yes”, Regina said. ”It was always supposed to be Lucy instead of Lisanna. But she was too strong for me to take over and I sensed how fragile and weak Lisanna's mind was at the time so I took the chance and used her instead. Which was a mistake.”

”You should have told Lucy about this”, Theodore scolded her.

”If I had, she would never use it, Theo.”

”Sometimes your logic just doesn't click with mine, you know that?”

”I know that very well. It often makes me wonder how we were able to fall in love”, Regina said as she took his hand and then she called the swirl of black smoke to teleport herself and her husband into a place where they could easily attack Lisanna – and she wouldn't even know what hit her...

********

”Over here, Lucy”, Nora said and pushed the other blonde into a back alley where they both panted and tried to catch their breath.

They had ran from Sky Lanes District towards the Skyline Highway – only to find the highway being destroyed – and there was no signs of Natsu and Sting or the Exceeds anywhere. After that, a group of Soulless began to chase them down and they had to run again. They had no idea where they were going, but Lucy didn't really care at that moment. She just wanted to rest a few minutes before running again.

The lights in the city went out and Lucy could hear how people yelled in horror, followed by fierce shooting and more angry yelling. Lucy began to feel panicked, too – in her vision, city had lost its lights when it fell from the sky. This was obvious sign that this sky city would fall no matter what they did in order to save it.

Lucy felt angry, disappointed and sad about it – angry at herself that she had decided to concentrate on that stupid parade instead of working on what she came here to do. If she had been able to resist those attractions, she would have been able to notice Lisanna earlier and then stop her in time. She felt disappointed that they had no real plans on how to do these things, and sad because they were going to fail.

”Lucy, do you really think we are going to fail?” Nora asked in a quiet voice.

Lucy nodded. ”We are too late. City has gone dark. It's only a matter of time now.”

”Then we have to try and find the rest of the group and escape”, Nora decided. ”If we can't find a time gate, I will open my pathway to the corridors of time instead.”

”You can do that?”

”I'm Sae's Warrior. I don't need time gates to travel through time. I can go wherever I please”, Nora answered. ”But we gotta find the rest of our group first, okay?”

”Let's do it!” Lucy said.

Nora nodded and closed her eyes for a moment. Then she growled. ”I can't reach anyone's thoughts for some reason. Maybe there's too many spacetime distortions that my telepathy doesn't work at all...”

”Then we just gotta –”

”Look out!” Nora interrupted and pushed Lucy out of the way. ”Whirlwind!”

A huge golden whirlwind flew into the skies where a set of Dark Javelins was flying towards the girls. They got caught in the whirlwind and flew away to every other direction.

”Lisanna!? How come she found us!?” Lucy yelled as she saw how their enemy fell from the sky and hit the ground. She only laughed and then got back up.

”Oh, I completely forgot that you have that little tornado thing you like to use... Well then, I guess I'll just kill you, Nora. If I end you, you will drag Lucy with you to death, don't you?” Lisanna told them as she walked into the valley while she summoned one of her Dark Javelins and took it into her hand.

Nora pulled out her own weapon, which automatically took a form of a sword and said, ”I'm not going to die, and neither is she. I'm gonna make sure that we'll escape unharmed and you will be killed!”

”So be it then, little toy. Prepare to die”, Lisanna said and took a battle stance.

”Same words to you, bitch”, Nora said, doing the same thing.

And then they attacked at each other.

And all Lucy could do was to make sure that she kept Nora protected against Lisanna's darkness by using Gold Shield as much as she could. Nora used her whirlwind attacks constantly and Lisanna did the same with her Javelins. She summoned many of them and threw all of them at Nora who would retaliate with Whirlwind.

Repeated attacks at one another also began to destroy the buildings around them, and Lucy was soon able to see clearly what happened in the other parts of the city – soldiers had began to use firebombs on the Soulless and the centre of Crocus was completely swallowed by flames. She could also see many people desperately trying to find a evacuation airship that hadn't left the city yet.

Lucy couldn't help but wonder if it had been like this in 794X as well. She hadn't been in the city at the time. She had been in Regina's floating fortress and she only saw Crocus up in flames from a window she looked out – and she wished that she didn't have to look at this destruction in 1300X. She would give anything to go to one of those evacuation airships with everyone and just run away.

_I didn't expect this to be so horrible,_ Lucy thought as she saw how another tall building fell to the ground on the other side of the city.

The air was filled with weird, glittering flakes that were rising into the sky. Lucy had no idea of what they were.

”Ah, shit! Lucy, be careful!” Nora yelled as she was made unarmed by Lisanna.

The white haired demon hit her into the side of her head, and Nora fell unconcious.

”In case you're wondering”, Lisanna said as Nora fell to the ground. ”These flakes are souls that are freed from the Soulless. But sadly, they won't get to the Valhalla because the Clock of Time is about to stop moving forward.”

”No way...” Lucy said.

Lisanna smiled. ”Oh, yes, and these souls will be forever trapped here in this crystallized form. Eventually they will fall into the ground and turn this whole continent into nothing but a desert made of crystal flakes. Everything will fall into eternal slumber, Lucy. That's what the End of Days is all about. This messed up world needs to be purged. Otherwise these people will never realize that who their true ruler is.”

”So you're causing apocalypse just because you want to be a ruler of this world? Lisanna, that's insane! You need to stop!” Lucy said.

”I'm not insane”, Lisanna said, smiling. ”Don't you see that I'm only doing a favor to this pitiful world?”

”But everything will die!”

”Maybe everything deserves to die”, Lisanna whispered and snapped her fingers.

Unconcious Nora was teleported from her spot on the ground next to Lisanna, and she put her Javelin on Nora's throat.

”Sadly, to make The End of Days happen, I must kill the Seeress of Guidance as well, and that's you. And because you and Nora have a connection, I only have to destroy Nora and you will die with her...”

”Leave her alone this instant!” Lucy yelled.

”I don't think I will.”

”Get your hands off her!” Lucy said in a voice that definitely didn't sound like hers.

She really didn't even care – she was too furious.

”Well, well”, Lisanna said. ”I thought this side of you would never come to visit me again. Hey, Re-gi-na.”

”Stop comparing me to her! I'm _not_ like Regina Heartfilia!” Lucy yelled, feeling even more angrier.

”Oh, but you most certainly are. Didn't you know that you possess a bit of her magic in yourself? Did you ever bother to think why Sae never gave you any offensive magic to use?”  
”Stop it. _Now_ ”, Lucy ordered her, trying to deny the truth.

The truth that somewhere deep inside herself she had known all this time.

”Or did you ever bother to think of how is it possible that I can track you down so easily?”

”I said _shut up_!” Lucy yelled angrily. ”You're telling lies!”

Lisanna only smiled, looking satisfied. ”Well, I'll prove it to you then. I'll slice Nora's throat open. If you have dark magic in you, you will use it to save her. Otherwise you will die with her and I will win. I will take the Dragon Slayers and enslave them while I torture Erza and others to death.”

”You will not if you ask me”, Lucy said angrily as she began to feel a power surge rising inside of her.

Lisanna pressed the Javelin's sharpest part against Nora's throat and a bit of blood came out from the wound.

”If you're going to do something, I suggest you act now, Regina replica”, she said.

Lucy had no idea why, but at that moment her anger and hatred towards Lisanna just exploded inside her into a power. Before she even knew it, her very being was fulfilled with dark magic and she felt powerful. Was this how Regina felt when she used her dark magic? This felt so familiar... and _good._

_Lisanna is right. This magic has always been inside me... It's the same darkness that the Shamans used to create Nora,_ Lucy thought. _But they said this shouldn't happen? Or... did she possibly return this darkness to me when we tried to rejoin our souls? Oh well, I need to use this power to save her. I can't let her die!_

”See? I told you, Regina Replica, you're still her tool of darkness”, Lisanna whispered.

”You have crossed the line, Lisanna”, Lucy said with a ice cold voice. ”Prepare to die.”

”Don't forget I'm still holding Nora's life in my hands, bitch.”

”And you are a traitorous vixen, who deserves to die”, Lucy said and snapped her fingers.

Nora disappeared into a swirl of smoke that had both gold and black colors mixed together and then reappeared on the ground behind Lucy.

”Now that Nora is out of the way and in safety, I can finally beat the crap out of you. I should have done this years ago”, blonde added and attacked.

”Ha, as if you're going to win!” Lisanna yelled and attacked as well.

”Lucy! What the hell are you doing!?” Nora yelled from the ground as Lucy and Lisanna hit each other into each other's faces with a fist.

”You're not supposed to – and why in hell are you using dark magic!?” Nora added as she got up.

”Quiet, and help me kill her!” Lucy yelled back.

”Fine then, Real One, you're creeping me out but I'll help you”, Nora said as she ran for her weapon which had been tossed away earlier by Lisanna.

”Oh, so she awakened. Fine. I prefer to kill my victims when they're awake. I love it when they scream and ask for mercy”, Lisanna said and tried to hit Lucy with her Javelin.

Blonde dodged the attack and proceeded to throw dark balls at her which Lisanna dodged by jumping into the air. Balls hit the building that had been standing behind her and it exploded. Then Lisanna summoned a set of Dark Javelins in the sky and threw them at her but Nora used her Whirlwind attack and made them fall somewhere else in the city.

”Lucy, I think you gotta tell me why you're using dark magic”, Nora said as she loaded her weapon – which now looked like a gun again – and fired six shots at Lisanna, who got hit twice from them.

”Well, apparently I had dormant dark magic in my soul”, Lucy said as the two of them looked at Lisanna falling to the ground. ”I think they returned to me when you were meant to join me.”

”And you idiot awakened them!? God, you really are stupid sometimes, Lucy!”

”Would you please be angry with me later? We are in the middle of a battle and I'd like to win!” Lucy snapped and grabbed one of Lisanna's flying Dark Javelins. She could feel that more power was attached to these weapons, and it also felt like Lisanna shouldn't even be the one using them.

_Regina always wanted me to fall into darkness instead of Lisanna,_ Lucy realized. _My tolerance against darkness must have been too strong for some reason though..._

”Lucy, get out from your daydream!” Nora yelled. ”Javelins are coming right at us!”

”Nope”, Lucy said and raised her hand against the countless weapons flying at the two women. They immediately stopped moving, and surprisingly, turned around to go back to where they came from – towards Lisanna, who looked surprised. She teleported away from their way and all the Javelins flew somewhere behind the buildings.

”Lucy, did you just control the Dark Javelins?” Nora asked, surprised look on her face.

”I did”, Lucy said, also feeling just as surprised. ”I think this means that I was meant to take Lisanna's place. These Javelins, and this dark magic, it's exactly the same that Lisanna has.”

”Then we have a advantage”, Nora said.

”Exactly”, Lucy agreed and the two girls grinned at each other.

They knew exactly what to do now!

”Oh, you're not going to take me down this easily!” Lisanna yelled. ”Try to control this storm, Lucy!” she added and summoned even more Dark Javelins.

”With pleasure”, Lucy told her confidently as the Javelins began to fly at her.

Nora created a powerful Whirlwind that blinded Lisanna's eye sight and Lucy took that chance to teleport herself to where Lisanna stood on top of a high building nearby. Lucy appeared from the smoke right behind Lisanna and kicked her into the Whirlwind that had sucked all of Lisanna's Javelins into it. Nora moved the Whirlwind around for a while and then snapped her fingers to let it disappear – all the debris in it and all the Javelins flew into the ground immediately. Lisanna herself was laying on the ground in the Zephyrus District ruins. Lucy and Nora both teleported to her and looked at her.

”You said you were going to kill us, white haired demon”, Nora said. ”But I think we just ended you.”

Lisanna giggled. ”You haven't seen all of my powers yet, you two. I will come back soon, and we'll do this again. Then, you will most certainly die”, she said and then she fell unconcious.

An artefact appeared in front of Lucy and Nora. It was floating right above Lisanna's body.

”What's next?” Nora said.

”We'll go find the time gate”, Lucy said as she took the artefact into her hands, and was surprised that she was still allowed to do that.

”How come am I able to touch this if I have awakened my darkness?”

”I honestly don't know”, Nora said. ”And look, someone's been held prisoner here”, she added and pointed at the cut dark ropes on the ground few meters away.

”Well, whoever it was, they are free now”, Lucy said. ”I think we should go look for the gate now. If everyone else is in one group, they will eventually find us. I want to believe so.”

”I hope you're right.”


	26. The Warriors Of Darkness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I'm here with another new chapter for you to read and enjoy. :) After this one there's only one chapter left of this epic arc and then the last arc will finally begin. :)

Getting to Natsu and Sting in time proved to be harder than Erza had thought – they ended up meeting dead ends often, and the Soulless were even more blood thirsty than before. Erza wasn't sure if it was because there were so many humans so close to them, or was it because their master was mentally unstable. Could it be that affected the behavior of the Soulless Army too? They were never this blood thirsty when Regina had been their Master!

”Another dead end!” Gray said as they turned around one of the many bridges in the central area of the city on their way to the Zephyrus District. Every single bridge passageway had been destroyed so that the access to the districts was made basically impossible.

”Happy, you and others have to help Gray over the to the other side and I'll use Black Wing Armor”, Erza said. ”There is no other way to do this anymore. All these paths are destroyed.”

Happy and other Exceeds nodded.

”That distance looks kinda long”, Gray said. ”Are you absolutely sure that you can make it?”

”I will make it”, Erza confirmed. ”Exquip! Black Wing Armor”, she added and soon her usual armor changed.

”Are we ready now?” Lector asked.

Everyone nodded as a answer and Happy and Lector grabbed the back of Gray's shirt. Froche was still too scared to do anything so Gray carried him instead. He had gone to that state immediately when the Soulless had flown into the city from the monstrous tornado. Even though Erza and Gray had tried to calm him down, the shock had eventually taken over him. Froche needed Rogue's support the most now, but the guy was nowhere to be found. Erza and Gray had tried to find him, but had no luck. So now the only thing they could do – until Rogue was found – was to keep Froche safe and help him to get over this nightmare.

Once Erza, Gray and the Exceeds had gotten to the other side of the broken bridge passageway, they continued their journey towards Natsu and Sting. From time to time they had to hide from the passing Whirlwinds, which came from the battle scene between Lisanna, Nora and Lucy. Erza noticed that those violent little tornadoes were always a little bit more powerful than the previous ones and couldn't help but wonder if Lucy and Nora were alright. Lisanna was a strong opponent after all.

”Those winds alone will rip this city apart soon”, Gray said as they ran. ”Their battle with Lisanna is fierce.”

”I always knew that Lucy will eventually go against her”, Happy said grinning. ”I have seen it since the Memory Loss Potion problem!”

”But Lucy has no offensive magic in her disposal now, Happy. She can't use her Celestial Spirit Magic because of the paradoxes and it doesn't look like that Goddess didn't give her anything either”, Gray pointed out. ”How can she beat Lisanna?”

”Nora is a piece of Lucy's soul”, Happy just said.

”And Nora-san is really, really strong!” Lector said grinning. ”Lisanna won't know what hit her!”

”I hope you two are right”, Erza said. ”It would be a shame if we lost both Lucy and Nora.”

From time to time they encountered groups of Soulless, who were now trying to get into the buildings of the residents who had been trapped in them. Erza remembered that before the Horologium Saeculum had been activated in 794X, Soulless had tried to get into people's houses there as well.

”Over here!” Happy yelled and turned around the corner. ”Natsu, I'm coming!”

Erza and others followed him. Once they turned around the corner, they saw that the Zephyrus District was destroyed. Even the gate leading to the area had fallen onto the path. There was barely anything standing by now. Houses were nothing but a huge piles of rubble. And in the middle of all there were two figures laying on the ground with black ropes holding them down.

”Finally!” Natsu greeted they approached the two boys. ”Free me so I can go help Luce!”

”We're going together, Natsu. Our mission is to stop Lisanna together”, Erza said as she cut off the ropes.

”But Luce –”

”I'm sure she's fine”, Gray said as he cut off the ropes around Sting.

”Fine then! Let's just go find them at least!” Natsu said, ruffling his hair in frustration. He sighed. ”I can't believe I let Lisanna trick me. Otherwise I would have been able to throw her off the edge of this goddamn city...”

”I had no idea that you wanted to kill Lisanna this badly”, Gray pointed out.

”Oh shit, we gotta take shelter!” Sting said. ”That storm will suck us in if we don't!” he pointed at the monstrous golden Whirlwind that was coming towards them with immense speed. It had already sucked in everything on it's way. Erza saw Soulless in it, debris and also a lot of Dark Javelins.

And on one of the towers stood Lisanna, who got pushed into the Whirlwind by Lucy Heartfilia, who had appeared behind her from a swirl of dark smoke – and she was holding one of Lisanna's Dark Javelins! Lisanna fell into the Whirlwind screaming and cursing.

They ran away from the storm's path and were able to hide into a alleyway outside the district just in time when the Whirlwind swept through the Zephyrus District. Then it disappeared and everything it had sucked in fell into the ground. There were countless Dark Javelins among the debris. Also, badly wounded Lisanna fell down from the storm.

Soon both Nora and Lucy appeared there as well – Nora from a smoke of golden smoke and Lucy from a swirl of black smoke – and they stood there looking at Lisanna, who was trying to get back up. Natsu immediately tried to run towards them, but Erza stopped her. She was sure that she had been the only one who had seen Lucy using dark magic. What if she was possessed? Erza couldn't let anyone go near her yet.

”You said you were going to kill us, white haired demon”, Nora said. ”But I think we just ended you.”

Lisanna giggled. ”You haven't seen all of my powers yet, you two. I will come back soon, and we'll do this again. Then, you will most certainly die”, she said and then she fell unconscious.

An artefact appeared in front of Lucy and Nora. It was floating right above Lisanna's body.

”What's next?” Nora said.

”We'll go find the time gate”, Lucy said as she took the artefact into her hands. ”How come am I able to touch this if I have awakened my darkness?” she added in a surprised voice.

_What do you mean, 'awakened my darkness'?_ Erza thought, furrowing her eyebrows. _What the hell has happened to you, Lucy?!_

”I honestly don't know”, Nora said. ”And look, someone's been held prisoner here”, she added and pointed at the cut dark ropes on the ground few meters away.

”Well, whoever it was, they are free now”, Lucy said. ”I think we should go look for the gate now. If everyone else is in one group, they will eventually find us. I want to believe so.”

”I hope you're right.”

Then they disappeared into a swirls of gold and black smoke, leaving unconscious Lisanna behind.

”What the hell, Erza!? She was right there!” Natsu said furiously.

”She's using dark magic. I couldn't allow you to go near them because we don't know what's going on”, Erza answered.

”She didn't seem to be evil though”, Sting pointed out. ”She did pick up the artefact and it didn't react to her any differently than before.”

”But her having darkness in her worries me”, Erza said. ”She is a descendant of Regina's. And I think we all know quite well how messed up she became because of the dark magic.”

Everyone well quiet, and worried looks on their faces spoke more than words.

”We have to go find Lucy and figure out how to get that darkness out of her before it's too late. We don't need another Regina _or_ another Lisanna to give us trouble”, Erza continued.

”You're right”, Natsu said. ”Let's go. Hopefully we'll find her.”

”What about Lisanna?” Gray asked.

”I think we'll let Regina and Theodore take care of her in case she wakes up”, Erza answered.

*********

Soon after Erza and others had left the Zephyrus District, a swirl of black smoke appeared in the area. A very amused looking Regina emerged from the smoke along with her husband Theodore. They both looked at the unconcious body of Lisanna. Regina was amazed at how powerful Nora and Lucy actually were together, and amused because they obviously didn't know the consequences of what was going to happen. Of course, Regina had decided to keep that information to herself just to see if they figured it out themselves – she highly doubted they would. These people weren't as smart as she had thought they would be.

”I didn't expect Lucy to be this powerful”, Theodore said as he tested if Lisanna was truly unconscious by poking her a bit with his sword – she didn't react to it.

”She was driven by her emotions, Theo. She has hidden her anger and hatred towards Lisanna so long that it eventually became fuel to these powers”, Regina said. ”It's very similar to what happened to me. Of course, the fuel to my power was the anger towards Tomas E. Fiore.”

”She really is related to you then”, Theodore said.

”You didn't believe it?”

”If I'm completely honest, I was hoping that darkness would have disappeared from the bloodline eventually but apparently it did not.”

”You're so unbelievably naive sometimes, Theo”, Regina said in a mocking tone.

”I don't think so. I'd say I'm unbelievably optimistic, my love”, Theodore answered.

”Touché”, Regina said and then looked at Lisanna again. ”Anyways, I still sense a lot of power left in this little vixen. She will attack them again.”

”We should probably warn them.”

”I doubt we need to. If this bitch wakes up and goes after them, they will sense it”, Regina said smiling. ”Especially after she realizes that Lucy has actually stolen some of her magic, Lisanna will be blind with rage.”

”And we are going to watch how Lisanna basically destroys herself?” Theodore asked. ”What a cruel idea.”

”I don't give mercy to traitors”, Regina said. ”Of course, you were a obvious exception but this little girl will get what she deserves. Nobody crosses me or steals my Soulless from me without punishment...”

”Should we follow Lucy and others then?”

”I think we should. Lisanna will follow the trace of my darkness to where they are and when they engage in another battle, we can surprise the bitch and end her life”, Regina said and then black smoke covered her and Theodore up.

*********

Once Regina and Theodore had left, a strong aura of darkness surrounded Lisanna Strauss. She opened her eyes, feeling so much rage with every cell of her body that it could have suffocated her.

As she stood up again, all she could think about was to kill Lucy Heartfilia. She didn't care if the city was destroyed. She didn't care if Regina stole the Soulless back. All she wanted at that very moment was to end Lucy's existence.

”I have failed many, many times, but this time will be different”, Lisanna whispered. ”You are going to die, and you will take this city with you, too.”

Lisanna snapped her fingers, and a swirl of black smoke immediately appeared. However, this one didn't transfer her anywhere – it only healed her wounds. Once the smoke disappeared, she reached out her arm to summon one of her beloved Dark Javelins.

Nothing happened.

Lisanna tried again, furrowing her eyebrows. Why didn't it work...!?

And she failed in her task once again.

”What the hell is this!?” Lisanna said angrily.

How come she was unable to call her Javelins suddenly!?

She swung her hand again in frustration in hopes to get her Javelins to react to her, but nothing happened. She refused to give up. Regina had given these powers to her! Why would they just suddenly go to Lucy!? It shouldn't even be possible!

She was brought back to reality by a sound of a explosion of a nearby house. Lisanna looked at it. It was up in purple flames!?

Lisanna smiled.

So the dark magic hadn't really left her after all. It had only changed into something else – something more destructive.

Lisanna grinned menacingly as the swirl of black smoke appeared around her.

With this newfound power, she would get what she wanted – finally.

*********

After acquiring the artefact for the time gate in the doomed city, Lucy had been able to sense the gate somewhere in the direction of Sky Lanes District. And so, the two blondes headed that way hoping that others would find their way there as well. On their journey towards the gate the girls had to rely on their teleportation abilities quite often because after a lot of explosions and the black out, most pathways were cut off. Lucy was also starting to notice a familiar trembling feeling beneath her feet and knew the end was near.

”Nora, wait”, Lucy said after they had ran nonstop for a while and they stopped. ”Do you feel how the city is starting to tremble beneath our feet?”

”Yes, is it a bad thing?” Nora asked, worried look on her face.

”It's a very bad thing, Nora”, Lucy confirmed. ”In my vision the city trembled beneath my feet only a moment before it fell to the ground.”

”Then we have to hurry and get out of here and fast. We have a chance now that Lisanna is unconscious. If we escape in time and go to Caelum, she can't follow us”, Nora said.

”But the others...”

”We don't need to worry about them, Lucy. They're already here”, Nora said, pointing at somewhere behind Lucy.

She turned around and saw others running towards them in a hurry. Lucy did notice they looked at her with a very alarmed looks on their faces and rolled her eyes.

”Come on, guys. I'm not possessed by darkness.”

Their expressions immediately turned into relief.

”Oh my god, you actually thought I'd give in to the darkness? Why would I do that?”

”We just assumed that you might be weak to it because Regina was”, Erza answered. ”But I trust you if you say you're ok with it.”

”I don't feel like I'm going crazy, if that's what you meant, Erza.”

”Luce, you were awesome!” Natsu said as he pulled Lucy into a hug – which Lucy didn't object at all.

She hugged him back, relieved that he was alright.

”We were imprisoned by Lisanna”, Sting explained to Nora. ”So we saw the whole thing. Even though we were a bit worried when you got too close to us and all the debris from the Whirlwind flew into Zephyrus District.”

”I'm sorry, loverboy. I just got carried away a bit, I guess”, Nora said and kissed him. ”I'm glad you're ok, Sting.”

”I'm glad that you beat that bitch, lovergirl”, Sting grinned.

”Did any of you see Regina or Theodore?” Lucy asked as she and Natsu broke apart from their hug. ”I think they should know that this city is doomed. It cannot be saved anymore.”

”What the hell?” Gray asked. ”But we could clean up the place from the Soulless now that Lisanna's down.”

”No, Gray”, Lucy said, smiling sadly. ”We can't stop this anymore. Crocus will fall at any minute now and when that happens, I'd like to be somewhere else.”

”Then we'll just try our best and escape if you really feel that way.”

”I do. I feel how the city is trembling beneath my feet. We need to hurry”, Lucy said.

”Wait, what about Theo?” Lector asked. ”We can't leave him behind.”

”He's not going to leave this place without Regina”, Lucy answered. ”I think they'll be fine together.”

”Okay then”, Sting said. ”Maybe we should keep going then?”

”The gate is somewhere in the Sky Lanes District”, Lucy said. ”Let's move.”

Everyone nodded in agreement and their journey continued.

After walking through the destroyed districts for a while, Lucy saw more and more floating flakes in the air and she couldn't help but wonder if Lisanna had been right when she had told Lucy that the Clock of Time was about to stop moving completely. She also mentioned something about a place called 'Valhalla' and that the flakes – which were people's souls – were unable to return there because of this. Lucy didn't understand what she meant. From what she had heard, she had come to a conclusion that if the Clock of Time stopped, so would the world stop living as well. But was it true? Was this the real purpose of The End of Days?

_I wonder what kind of a world would it be where time has stopped moving forward..._ Lucy thought as she ran with the rest of her group towards their destination. They wanted to hurry up in order to save themselves in time.

Lucy's thoughts came to a halt when Erza – who was leading the group – stopped walking and gave them all a sign to stop moving as well. Lucy looked around and saw that they were in a area that they didn't recognize. There were bloody bodies everywhere along with collapsed buildings. There were few buildings still standing too, and it was easy to hear the hopeless cries for help from the residences' balconies. There were few airships that were picking the citizens up from buildings' roofs but Lucy knew that they won't be able to save them on time. The Soulless Army was crawling on the walls of the buildings to reach the citizens.

”What the hell are we supposed to do about this?” Sting whispered fiercely.

”Maybe we should fight our way through?” Natsu suggested.

”It will attract the rest of the Army here”, Nora said. ”I think we gotta wait until they've eaten their dinner.”

”Nora, that sounds so horrible”, Gray scolded her.

”Or Lucy could tell them to fuck off”, Nora added.

”What!?” everyone said.

”Lucy beat Lisanna up, and she stole demon's magic. Don't you think it's only logical to think that the Soulless Army is in Lucy's control now? Also, Lucy is Regina's descenant. It's pretty obvious that these creatures will obey Lucy just as easily as they would obey Regina.”

”But it would mean that I would have to use more of these dark powers which I don't want to use unless it's necessary”, Lucy rejected the idea.

”This situation requires you to use your powers, Lucy”, Nora told her. ”I don't see any other way out of this.”

”But –”

”If you'll fall into darkness, it's OK. We'll save you”, Nora interrupted. ”Look, Lucy, I don't want to die here, and neither do you. You can show Regina that you'll only use these powers for good.”

”I don't like the idea of Lucy using dark magic”, Natsu said. ”It's dangerous.”

”No, I'll do it”, Lucy said. ”I'm not really fond of this idea but we really need to go and the Soulless isn't going anywhere until they have killed all the residents in those buildings. This is the only way. I just hope Sae will forgive me for this”, she added as she walked away from the group.

She into the group of Soulless and was able to feel the darkness in every last one of them. It felt old. Very old. It was as if they were something that had existed longer than she had.

She could feel their thoughts in her mind.

_They're curious about me,_ Lucy thought as she walked among them.

Her left hand touched one of the Soulless. It was cold but it didn't hurt.

_I'm immune to their power to rip people's souls out of their bodies because I'm a Heartfilia,_ blonde realized.

The Soulless she had touched hissed at her and took a step back. Others Soulless did the same.

_Why did they react to me like this?_ Lucy wondered, furrowing her eyebrows.

Something deep inside her brought the Goddess of Time to her mind. Was she the reason why these creatures reacted to her the way they did?

Lucy couldn't help but have a hunch that the Soulless Army didn't like Sae for some reason.

_I'll figure that out later. Right now I need to concentrate on this little mission,_ Lucy thought.

”Move”, she said, and pointed at the pathway the Soulless had come from.

The Soulless Army obeyed her simple command immediately by moving out of the way, and bowing to her.

”Now that's some creepy stuff right there, Real One”, Nora said. ”They're bowing down to you!”

Lucy looked at the creatures in total shock.

” _The Soulless Army always bows to our family, Lucy”,_ Regina's voice in her mind interrupted.

” _Why...?”_

” _Blood oath, Lucy. I would like to explain the things for you, but I don't think you're ready to step on the right path just yet”,_ Regina laughed.

” _Don't mock me, Regina. You were right. I had a fate as a Warrior of Darkness, I figured that much already”,_ Lucy told her.

” _You could still take the role”,_ Regina told her. _”It's never too late. I have no plans to put you down as you're still be useful to me.”_

” _No...”_ Lucy thought, as she came to a realization.

” _Oh yes, the fate you have on this timeline overpowers your fate as Goddess' little lapdog. Think about it. You will soon realize what kind of a goddess she truly is”,_ Regina said, laughed, and then her existence disappeared from Lucy's mind.

_My hunch, it might be correct!_ Lucy thought and glanced at the mark on her left shoulder.

”Nora”, Lucy said quietly.

”Hmmm?” she asked.

”I have a bad feeling about all this”, Lucy whispered to her.

”About what?” Nora asked.

”Everything that's going on, Nora. Something doesn't feel right to me!”

”Nah, you're probably just stressed and paranoid”, Nora grinned. ”Let's just do this, and go to Caelum, Lucy!”

Lucy could only nod.

Even though something very deep inside of her warned her to not to go to Caelum – she just didn't know what the reason was.

But she had a feeling that she'd find it out very soon.

Suddenly, they saw a group of purple colored fireballs flew everywhere in the city. Followed by that there were countless explosions that caused people to scream in fear again. Lucy and others even saw how one purple ball flew right into one evacuation airship which exploded in the sky. Pieces of the airship and burning bodies fell to the ground.

Lucy could easily tell who it was – Lisanna.

”We need to hurry up”, Nora said as more purple balls flew into the city. She pulled Lucy up. ”Lucy, it doesn't matter if you have darkness in you or the fact that you should have given in, what really matters now is that we save ourselves”, she added.

”You're right, Nora”, Lucy said. ”I can get sad and cry later, but not now.”

”Sky Lanes District isn't that far from here”, Nora told everyone. ”If we hurry, Lisanna won't even be able to see us!”

Everyone nodded, and their run towards a escape continued.

Sky Lanes District was now deserted when Lucy and others arrived there. It seemed that all citizens in the area had been successfully evacuated on the airships. There was one thing that Lucy couldn't help but wonder – the fire that was slowly destroying everything on its path. Were people of this city already sure that saving it would be hopeless? Was that the reason why this fire wasn't taken care of?

”Well, I think Natsu approves the fire”, Happy said when Lucy expressed her toughts aloud.

He was right though – Natsu was already eating the fire.

”This fire is good, Luce!” Fire Dragon Slayer said and ate more of it.

”Why are you eating so much of it anyway?” Happy asked.

”I wanna be ready in case I gotta protect Luce from Lisanna”, Natsu answered.

”Lucy, do you sense the gate?” Lector asked.

”Yeah, it's somewhere in the evacuation area, but I think we should let Natsu take care of the fire first”, Lucy said.

Once the fire was out of the way, the group hurried through the destroyed district towards the time gate which Lucy had sensed. It was surprisingly hard to find because there was a lot of rubble on the way. But after they had been looking for it for a while, Lucy finally located it in the main hall of the Sky Lanes Evacuation Station.

”Wait here. I'll go activate the gate”, Lucy told everyone before she entered the now abandoned station.

Time gate was located in the middle of the hall. Lucy walked to it and pushed the artefact into it. She soon heard a sound of unlocking lock and took the artefact out as the time gate opened.

She went back outside to tell everyone that the gate was open and that they were ready to go. Of course, she was disappointed with herself because they had failed in stopping Lisanna from causing chaos that probably would never be reversed.

”I opened the gate”, Lucy said as she joined the others who had somehow managed to find benches that weren't destroyed yet.

”Should we go now?” Erza asked. ”Or should we try to contact Theodore first?”

”I doubt he'll leave Regina here alone with Lisanna”, Lucy said smiling. ”I believe they will survive. Theodore knows how to deal with Regina. They lived together for a long time after all.”

”It doesn't feel right to me”, Gray said. ”I don't trust Regina at all.”

”I don't know why, but I actually do”, Lucy confessed. ”I know, you think that it's the darkness that talks but it isn't. Regina has her issues with darkness and she may not be able to control herself but when it comes to the man she loves, she does anything to keep Theo safe.”

”Actually, I agree with Lucy”, Nora said. ”Regina isn't what she used to be before. She's not even as powerful as she used to be anymore.”

”Okay, enough of this”, Erza said. ”If we are going to go, we should do it now that Lisanna hasn't found us yet.”

”Let's do that. If Nora and Lucy both thinks that Theo will be safe then we have to trust them”, Gray agreed.

Suddenly Lucy felt Lisanna's presence and based on her instincts, she summoned a Dark Javelin and swung it around just in time to block the black daggers that had been thrown at her.

”Whoa, Lucy!” Sting said. ”That weapon's not yours!”

”Of course they're not hers”, said Lisanna's voice from the roof of the one of the destroyed houses. ”She's a thief.”

”What the...? Luce, what does this mean?” Natsu asked.

”Dark Javelins were supposed to be mine”, Lucy said as she looked at the black weapon in her hands. ”I took over the control of these the moment I touched one of these during my first battle against this bitch.”

”I came to reclaim _my_ Javelins”, Lisanna said grinning evilly. ”And this time I won't play games. It will be a pleasure to take those weapons out of your cold, dead hands.”

”Bring it on then!” Lucy yelled, furious again that this little demon still hadn't gone down peacefully.

”With pleasure, Regina Replica!” Lisanna yelled just as furiously.

And they attacked at each other.


	27. The Cradle Will Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm back with another chapter for Shattered. :) This one is the last one of arc 3 and I like the chapter even though I personally think it should've been 4 pages longer than it is now but oh well, I'm not rewriting it anymore because it's still good enough for me. :) Also, yes, I am aware that the title is kinda weird. I honestly just took it from Final Fantasy XIII's last chapter's title because it was the only one that kinda fit the chapter. I couldn't come up with anything myself and didn't want to release a chapter without a title because that's not how I roll, lol.
> 
> And be warned - a BRUTAL major character death ahead! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! ♥

Lucy and Lisanna had been fighting against one another for a while now, and there was no end in sight. Lucy had noticed that now that she had taken most of Lisanna's powers away, they were actually equally strong, and because of that, she had absolutely no idea how she could beat this woman! But she definitely wasn't planning on giving up anytime soon. She had to keep Lisanna away from everyone and especially from the time gate. Lucy wasn't sure if Lisanna had already figured out that the gate had been activated or not, but she didn't want to risk it.

”Why don't you just go and die!?” Lisanna eventually yelled as she took few steps back from Lucy. She was already panting – and so was Lucy as well.

”Because I'm not giving up”, Lucy said. ”We are basically equal now, see?”

”Hmph, there's always a way for you to die”, Lisanna said and snapped her fingers.

Lucy was surrounded by a group of Soulless, but the blonde only snapped her own fingers and the group disappeared.

”Didn't you know that as a Heartfilia I can control the Soulless Army, too?” she asked Lisanna, who looked surprised by the fact that Lucy had just dismissed them so easily.

”Oh, good”, Lisanna said as she regained her composure. ”The timeline is about to collapse and is trying to rebuild itself by bringing back a alternate one where we both were Regina's minions.”

”What do you mean?”

Lisanna grinned. ”You really are a horrible Seeress, Lucy. You have no idea that there was also a timeline when we both became Regina's minions on the day when she came out of your body. On that timeline you were constantly possessed by Regina's darkness, and that even seduced me, who has always wanted to be strong as hell so I left with you instead of going to a insane asylum which that hospital in Capa actually was...”

Lucy couldn't believe it. There were multiple different timelines in existence for her? And Lisanna, too? Were they all full chaos and pain like this one? Was there any that ended well?

”Now you're obviously thinking if there was a alternate timeline where everything ends well, don't you?” Lisanna asked. ”Well, I'm afraid that all of them ended terribly!”

Lucy snapped out of her thoughts just in time to dodge Lisanna's deadly dangerous looking Dark Daggers she had thrown at her.

”There has to be a alternate timeline where all this ends well!” Lucy yelled as she summoned more Dark Javelins and threw them at Lisanna, who just teleported out of the way.

Lucy could feel how she began to get weaker due to all this magic usage.

_This isn't good. How can I win this battle without dying?_ She thought as she dropped on her knees to the ground. _I will die myself if I don't find a way soon..._

”Oh, you've used too much of your magic”, Lisanna mocked her. ”I could kill you now but I think I'll do something else first...” she added and snapped her fingers again.

A swirl of black smoke appeared, and to Lucy's horror she was looking at Natsu and Happy, who were tied up together by black ropes. Lisanna summoned one of her Daggers from the darkness.

”Oh hell no!” Natsu said, and tried to get free, but then noticed he was unable to use magic.

”Don't bother”, Lisanna told him. ”These are the special type of dark ropes that will nullify all magic of the prisoner. I suggest you just stay still while I rip your throats open while Lucy watches!”

”No!” Lucy yelled and tried to get up but dropped back down because she felt so weak suddenly. But why?

”It's actually quite funny how weak you are even when you have dark magic in your disposal”, Lisanna said as she pulled Natsu's head back so that his neck came into a better view.

”Don't touch him!” Happy yelled, and struggled to get free. ”I will end you, Lisanna!”

”Shut up, stupid cat, you're gonna die next! You see, I still have to make you pay for ruining my perfect plans!”

”Lucy!” Gray's voice called.

He, Sting, Nora, Erza and the Exceeds came from the Evacuation Station where they had hid when Lisanna's daggers had started to fly, only to be stopped by Lucy's Dark Javelins.

”What are you doing with Natsu, you bitch!?” Nora yelled as she loaded her weird gun/sword hybrid weapon. ”I'm going to shoot you to death before you even cut his throat open!” she added as she pointed the gun at Lisanna's head.

”You won't be able to”, Lisanna retorted. ”I'm faster with my fingers”, she said and pressed the sharp dagger against Natsu's throat.

Lucy could see a small drop of blood falling from the wound and she then stood up.

”I don't care if I die”, she began. ”But if you even think of hurting Natsu or any of my friends, I will destroy you!”

”Lucy, be careful with your darkness!” Sting yelled. ”You're glowing with a dark aura!”

”I don't care. This bitch is going to –” she began.

But she suddenly got hit by a purple fireball right into her stomach and the ball exploded. Lucy and others – minus Lisanna, Natsu and Happy – flew few meters away from the scene. Lucy felt dizzy as she got back up. She summoned Dark Javelins and looked at Lisanna fiercely.

”You think that's gonna stop me?” she asked.  
”Well, I was hoping you'd explode into pieces but it seems to me that it didn't work...” Lisanna said and grinned. ”It's time to kill you, Natsu...”

”No!” Lucy yelled and threw the Javelins towards Lisanna.

She could feel she didn't have much magic left as her knees began to shake from exhaustion, but at the same time she hoped that those Javelins could end Lisanna's life right then and there. Death would be merciful enough for this demon, right?

”Not tonight!” Lisanna said as she called more purple fireballs and blew Lucy's Javelins away with the attack. ”But sure, come and try to save your man, Lucy. I'd like to see how a weakling like you do – AGH!”

Lisanna's sentence was cut off as she suddenly was blown away from Natsu – a swirl of black smoke had appeared out of nowhere, and a powerful looking whirlwind came out of there.

”You are the one who is the weakling”, said a cold, dead serious voice from the smoke. Then dark ropes flew out of the dark smoke and imprisoned Lisanna.

”YOU!” white haired woman yelled as she fell to the ground as the swirl of black smoke disappeared, revealing Theodore and Regina, who both looked dead serious.

But at that moment Lucy didn't care about them. She hurried towards Natsu and Happy, who were now lying on the ground.

”Here”, Nora said as she followed Lucy.

She gave her a knife which the blonde used to cut off the ropes. Once Natsu and Happy were free, Lucy hugged them both tightly.

”I have come here to end your existence”, Regina just told Lisanna. ”You have successfully destroyed everything I built.”

”Do you think I care?” Lisanna asked and laughed. ”I eventually proved that I'm stronger than you!”

Regina laughed a little bit, and that sounded scary as hell. ”Yes, you proved that you are very strong, but that was mostly because you had yours and Lucy's dark magic in you. Now that Lucy has reclaimed her powers, I can finally destroy you.”

”I seriously doubt it!” Lisanna said.

”Then prove me wrong once more, Lisanna”, Regina said, smiling.

She snapped her fingers and Lisanna was freed from the ropes' grip.

”If you actually kill me this time, you have proven me wrong.”

Lisanna's expression was thoughtful for a moment and then she grinned menacingly. ”Bring it on then, Regina Heartfilia!”

”With pleasure”, Regina coldly said, and then she attacked Lisanna.

”Now's your chance to escape!” Theodore said to the others. ”We'll deal with Lisanna and you'll run”, he added as he joined Regina in the battle.

”We gotta get Lucy out of here now that we have a chance!” Nora said while the area was filled with explosions of dark magic that Regina used on Lisanna.

”But –” Lucy began.

”No, Luce”, Natsu said and smiled. ”You need to go. She was after you anyway. She doesn't care about us.”

”No!”

”Lucy, don't be such a kid about this”, Erza scolded her. ”They're both right. You have to leave.”

”But my vision –”

”We won't die”, Sting interrupted. ”We'll follow you once we're done here.”

Lucy couldn't believe it. They all knew they were going to die in Lisanna's hands, yet they still wanted to stay?

”Why? You all know very well you'll die here! We should all go together. I don't want to lose any of you ever again...”

”I'm staying with these guys, Lucy”, Nora said. ”Even if it would be more wise if I went with you. I know how to help everyone out of here, so I have to stay.”

Lucy knew her objections only echoed through their ears and sighed. Her friends had made their minds already, and Lucy would be unable to change them. Had they spoken about it themselves while Lucy had been concentrated on fighting with Lisanna? Or was it just a silent understanding between them?

”Natsu...” Lucy said, feeling defeated.

”It's OK”, Natsu comforted her, and grinned.

”We'll help Regina and Theo, and then we'll meet again somewhere on the timeline”, he added and kissed Lucy a goodbye.

”Alright”, Lucy tried to smile but couldn't. ”I'll go then... and promise me that you won't die. I don't think I could live with myself if you did...”

”I promise me and everyone survives”, Natsu said. Then he turned to his Exceed. ”Happy, go with Lucy.”

”Wait, why?” Happy asked.

”Lisanna's after you too, remember? You need to leave. You'll be fine with her, and we'll meet again later, OK?”

”Aye sir...” Happy said, sounding depressed.

”You probably should take Lector and Froche with you as well”, Sting hastily said as Lucy hugged everyone as a goodbye.

Lucy nodded and took still unconcious Froche into her arms and turned around to go to the Evacuation Station where the time gate was located. Blonde didn't want to look back because she knew she wouldn't be able to leave if she did. Why was this happening to her again?

”Wait”, Theodore's voice interrupted Lucy's thoughts.

Blonde turned around to face the man, who now looked really, really sad about something. She also saw that her friends had joined Regina's battle against Lisanna, who was still standing with barely no wounds on her.

”What do you want?” Lucy asked.

”I'm coming with you because Regina is going to do something that she doesn't want me to see”, Theodore said quietly. ”Besides, you need someone to protect you.”

”Alright then, let's go before Lisanna notices I'm about to sneak out right under her nose”, Lucy said, trying to keep her own emotions in check as she continued her walk towards the partially destroyed station up ahead.

Once they reached the station, they had to climb over the roof rubble that had blocked the way into the building, but after they got past that, they hurried over to the time gate. It was still activated, and unharmed unlike the rest of the building which was mostly in ruins by now. Lucy and others looked at each other and then, one by one, they stepped into the time gate which began to close behind them.

*********

After they had been able to convince Lucy to leave the doomed city, Erza and others decided to join the battle against Lisanna. They knew very well that Regina wouldn't approve that decision but once she herself had told Theodore to leave the city as well, Erza knew that she wouldn't do it herself. And that's why she and others had joined her which felt really weird since they were supposed to be enemies. However, they did have a common enemy – Lisanna.

”Oh, how cute”, Lisanna mocked them. ”Enemies side by side trying to kill me, who is only trying to purge this world from all the trash.”

”I always knew you were a bad choice to ally with”, Regina calmly said. ”I always knew that you won't be able to handle the power of darkness. Now, it has made you insane.”

”No, that's incorrect assumption. You see, they will soon see me as the _true_ Messenger of Chaos who punished them for the wrong ways”, Lisanna said and grinned. Her eyes were also gleaming with a look that could only be described as insane.

”This is exactly why Lucy was originally my target”, Regina said and smiled. ”But it doesn't matter. You are going to die soon.”

”Right. You have said that many, many times, Regina, and I'm still standing”, Lisanna said and giggled.

Her expression changed from insane one into an outraged one as she looked somewhere behind the group. Erza and others turned around to look and saw how the Evacuation Station was shining in yellow light.

”No! You are not escaping from me!” Lisanna yelled and shot countless of purple fireballs towards the building as she began to run towards the building with intentions of murdering Lucy.

”Checkmate”, Regina only said with a victorious expression on her face right before she disappeared into a swirl of black smoke and then reappeared right in front of Lisanna.

White haired woman stumbled and fell on the ground. Regina then levitated the woman into the air and then the evil sorceress grinned with the most menacing look on her face as she pushed her hand through Lisanna's chest. Then she pulled back and Lisanna screamed loudly as something transparent and dark was pulled out of her body.

Lisanna tried to struggle to get freed as she screamed.

”This is the punishment for a minion who dares to betray me and steals my Soulless Army”, Regina told Lisanna, and then the dark, transparent figure was out and Regina threw Lisanna's body out of her way as if it was trash. Then she rose her hands to the air, and said,

”My children of darkness, come forth! Return to me, your rightful master!”

The Soulless Army rose into the air in every part of the city and then flew towards Regina. Soon she was covered in black smoke that circulated her until every last bit of it had been absorbed by Regina Heartfilia, who came out of it unharmed. She opened her eyes and looked at her hands which were still smoking with darkness. Then she smiled as she snapped her fingers. Dark, transparent Lisanna was teleported in front of Erza and others. It looked a lot like a Soulless but still felt very different.

”Have fun ending her existence, ignorant fools. I'm now going to hunt down the one I wanted in the first place”, Regina said. ”Now that Lucy's darkness has finally awaken, it's time to move back to my original plan. Lisanna was only a temporary solution that turned into a mistake”, she added coldly and laughed evilly as she disappeared into a swirl of black smoke.

”She's going after Lucy now”, Nora said. ”And what did we do!?”

”Guys, we need to concentrate on one thing at a time”, Sting said, looking at Lisanna. ”This bitch is weak now. If we end her, we should be able to save the city now, right?”

”A temporary solution...?” Lisanna whispered in her echoing voice. ”A TEMPORARY SOLUTION!? I'm not a temporary solution to anyone!”

”You were for the team!” Natsu yelled. ”Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!”

”Oh, you're not going to kill me with that, Dragneel! Eat this!” Lisanna yelled and purple flames covered her.

She threw fireballs at Natsu, who dodged them.

The battle raged for a while until both Erza and Gray had to move to the sidelines due to the exhaustion – they had been using a lot of magic while defending the Hope Terminal earlier – but Sting, Nora and Natsu kept going at it. Lisanna had started to lose her spark as he attacks began to lose their power and Erza knew that the final moments had finally arrived.

”She's going down soon!” Nora yelled as she panted. ”Damn, I can't do this anymore...”

”You look so pale, Nora”, Gray said. ”Are you OK?”

”I'm just tired of all the fighting we've done here. I'll be fine soon...” Nora said, although her voice was uncertain and shaky. As Erza looked at her, she also noticed that her hair and eyes had begun to change their color to a darker color.

”Erza, you gotta join them”, Nora added. ”She goes down with one powerful strike of light based magic...”

”Right, got it”, Erza said and requipped into her Armadura Fairy Armor, and she joined the battle again. However, both Natsu and Sting had already heard what Nora had said and they were ready to strike Lisanna for the last time. Erza gave them a nod of approval as she herself began to charge her swords with energy.

”Fire Dragon's Breath!” Natsu yelled at the same time.

”White Dragon's Breath!” Sting yelled at the same time.

”Fairy Burst!” Erza joined them and charged Lisanna.

”NO!” Lisanna yelled as the triple attack hit her.

The explosion that followed shook the city and pressure wave destroyed nearby houses' windows and doors with ease.

Lisanna's Soulless stood where the attack had hit her, and she was already fading away. When she finally did disappear, Erza and others gave each other high fives.

Their enemy had finally been defeated for good.

But their joy was too early – as they were still being happy that the city had been saved, they heard a loud explosion coming from beneath the city structure. The whole city shook from its force. Explosion had happened where the Entertainment District had been only few hours ago.

It was followed by another explosion.

Then came the third one.

And then they heard a announcement that they had not expected to hear.

” _Warning! Warning! Afloat System failure detected. Emergency shut down of all remaining Afloat Systems will commence.”_

”This wasn't supposed to happen!” Sting said as the city began to lean downwards so that the group was able to see the ground in front of their eyes. A lot of buildings had began to uproot from their positions and fall towards the ground. As a Dragon Slayer he could easily hear the screams that came from the buildings.

”Should we run for the gate?” Erza asked.

”If we're fast enough we might have a chance!” Gray said.

”Whatever we're gonna do, we gotta do it now! This city is doomed!” Natsu yelled as more and more buildings and rubble fell from the city towards the ground far away beneath them.

”We don't have time to run for the gate anymore!” Nora yelled as she and others climbed on the backside of the burnt benches on the Sky Lanes District ruins. She then reached her hand out and a golden gateway opened in front of them.

”We gotta jump! _Now!_ ” she yelled and then dove into the gateway.

Others followed her as the city fell right past them.

As the doorway closed behind the group, they could hear countless screams of horror that faded away as Sky City Crocus met its death by crushing to the ground below.

And on that very same day, the Clock of Time also stopped moving forward.

And as the Clock of Time stopped moving, Nora collapsed on the floor in the corridors of time.

_Arc epilogue  
_ _-Let The Hunt Begin-_

_Place Where Forgotten Time Lies  
_ _Year: Unknown_

As the Sky City Crocus fell from the sky to the ground in the black lacrima ball she used to keep an eye on other people, Regina was actually surprised that it had happened. She had actually thought that these outrageous people would be able to stop it, but no. City fell, and exploded into pieces on the ground, killing millions of people.

Regina smiled nonetheless – even if the world would end now, she would still have what she had always wanted. After all, her main target was still alive and kicking. Lucy Heartfilia was somewhere out there with Theodore, and she had awaken her darkness at last.

”Well, after all, I still had some use for you, Lisanna”, Regina said aloud in her dark palace that had once been the floating fortress. ”I couldn't believe that you would provoke Lucy to unleash her dark magic. However, I wouldn't have rewarded you anyway because you were nothing but a temporary solution to my temporary problem”, she added and smiled.

Yes, she truly didn't have any plan to give Lisanna any powers of darkness originally, but she had been so weak on that day and Regina had needed someone to help her. Lisanna had been a good help. With her help Regina had been able to poison Lucy's soul with darkness, but provoking her into unleashing it had proved to be tricky – Lucy had unconsciously rejected her every single time. And then she had even gotten herself frozen in time for seven long years. But luckily Regina got a new chance eventually yet she still rejected her. Of course, it was probably the so called Goddess of Time who had protected her the whole time.

”But now things are different”, Regina said and snapped her fingers.

Rogue appeared to the throne room of this castle immediately and bowed to her.

”You called, Master Regina?”

”Yes, Rogue”, Regina said, smiling. ”It's time to begin our new operation, but we need the Seeress to be our ally to succeed.”

”Has the Seeress finally opened her heart to darkness, Master?”

”Yes”, Regina answered. ”Lisanna, even though she eventually betrayed me, did a very good job at provoking Lucy into unleashing the darkness within her soul.”

”But she probably isn't aware that she has to pay the price to the darkness, hm?”

”The price has already been paid without her noticing it”, Regina said. ”Now, go. Hunt down Lucy Heartfilia and bring her to me, Rogue.”

”Yes, Master Regina”, Rogue said, bowed, and then disappeared into a swirl of black smoke.

Regina smiled.

Things were going towards the right path now.

Soon she would be able to escape this prison with the Seeress by her side...


	28. Time Travellers II (Prologue)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I'm back with another chapter for Shattered. This one is a prologue to the last arc of the story, and I can tell you that I'm not pleased with this chapter at all. But at the same time I have no ideas to how to make it better so I'm just gonna post it, lol. It was written in 2016 and is one of the last ones I did that year before the 2 year long hiatus that I took due to personal struggles. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy reading this chapter more than I enjoyed writing it! ;D

_World In-Between  
_ _Year: ???X_

When Lucy, Theodore and the Exceeds came out from the time gate, Lucy couldn't help but wonder if the others were alright or if they were following her – but the time gate closed behind her and showed no signs of opening again. That meant only one thing; Natsu and the others were still in the doomed Sky City Crocus, trying their best to stop Lisanna.

” _Don't let negativity get to you, Lucy”,_ Sae's voice said in her head. _”If you let yourself drown in despair, the darkness will take over.”_

” _I'm sorry...”_ Lucy said, feeling ashamed.

” _I always knew you will eventually answer its call. On this timeline your destiny has always been darkness. It was only a matter of time when it happens.”_

” _Do you think I can keep this under control so I won't become as crazy as Lisanna did?”_

” _Only if you're strong enough to fight against this force, Lucy. Darkness is a very vicious force. Once you let it in, it's very hard to let go of it”,_ Sae explained.

Her presence in Lucy's mind disappeared suddenly.

_That's the second time this has happened to me. I wonder what's wrong,_ Lucy thought, furrowing her eyebrows.

”I wonder where we are this time”, Happy said, interrupting Lucy's thoughts.

”Everything's covered up in darkness, and the sky's red”, Lector said and shivered. ”Also, this storm's about to suck me in!”

”Let's take cover over there”, Theodore calmly said as Lucy picked up the Exceeds.

They hurried over to the shelter Theodore had pointed at. It was a part of a house that had once stood in one place. Lucy sat down on the remains of a wooden floor and shivered as well. She felt just as cold as the Exceeds.

”I found these”, Theodore said, holding a old blanket in his hands. ”It's not moldy or dirty, so it should keep you warm.”

”But wouldn't you freeze, Theo?” Happy asked.

”I don't feel cold”, man said as he sat down next to them. ”However, I hope this storm passes soon.”

”I wonder what year is this”, Lector wondered aloud.

”I believe we are somewhere in the last days of Earthland”, Lucy said quietly. ”I have a hunch that tells me so.”

”So you haven't lost your Seeress powers yet?” Theodore asked curiously. ”We still have a chance to get to Caelum?”

”Yes, but only if we're able to find a time gate and an artefact. The problem is that, however, that I sense nothing that could show me the right direction.”

”Maybe the storm is preventing you from sensing it”, Theodore wondered. ”Let's wait for the storm to pass and try to figure out what to do after that.”

”Good plan.”

”And Lucy, you should rest. You used so much magic in Crocus that I'm surprised you're still standing. Aren't you exhausted at all?”

”I'm exhausted, Theo. I'll try to sleep a little bit”, Lucy agreed, as she noticed how exhausted she actually was.

Sleep took over her the moment she closed her eyes – and in her dream she was at Fairy Tail having fun with everyone with no care in the world. Just like in the good old days.

When Lucy finally woke up, the storm had passed, but the darkness and the red colored sky hadn't gone anywhere. She and the others got out of their shelter and looked around, but were unable to see anything. It was both frustrating and annoying at the same time, but they couldn't go back to the corridors of time either, because the gate had closed itself. Lucy knew it needed its own specific artefact to be reopened.

”This gate has locked itself up, hasn't it?” Happy asked.

”Yep. If we wish to go through, we need an artefact”, Lucy confirmed.

She sighed, ”I have a feeling that something has happened to others – especially Nora. I just can't shake this feeling off. Something's wrong with her.”

”Then we have to figure out how to get to Caelum”, Theodore said. He furrowed his eyebrows and looked around. ”Where the hell are you?”

”Who?” Froche asked curiously.  
”Those people who keeps talking but are nowhere to be seen”, Theodore answered. ”Can you hear them?”

Everyone fell quiet and looked around.

Lucy heard it – footsteps.

And soon it was followed by faint voices of people talking in muffled voices.

”I can hear them, but I don't understand a word they say”, blonde girl said. ”Everything's muffled.”

”They're talking about last night's storm”, Lector said. ”And that it was the strongest storm in 20 years.”

”Anything else?” Theodore asked.

”They're talking about going to pray for mercy from the Goddess of Chaos and her prophet Messenger of Chaos, whose judgement was placed upon human kind for their sins or something.”

”Do you get any other information, Lector?” Theodore said.

”Not really.”

”I think it's OK to assume that Crocus fell from the sky just like it did in my vision”, Lucy sighed. ”Now only thing that troubles me is everyone's safety. Do you think they got out in time?”

”I'm pretty sure they got out, Lucy. Nora was with them and she has a special ability to open portals to Caelum. I'm sure they made it out alright”, Theodore said in a comforting tone. ”Lucy, you can't let these dark thoughts get to you, you know? If you do, darkness will only grow stronger.”

”I'm trying my best, Theo”, Lucy said. ”I'm not giving up without a fight.”

”I find it weird that we can barely see anything here”, Happy said. ”We can't even see these people who talk to one another.”

”I think we are lost in time again”, Lucy said. ”We are here, but at the same time we aren't. I think we have gotten caught up into a paradox.”

”Should we destroy it somehow?”

”We don't need to”, Lucy said, smiling. ”I can already sense the artefact and the time gate.”

”Alright”, Theodore said. ”Which way, Lucy?”

”Over there”, blonde girl said, pointing into a vague looking front gate of the ruined city they were in. ”Let's go. The sooner we get out of here, the sooner we'll get back to the others.”

Everyone nodded in agreement, and Lucy began to guide them towards the only way to get out of this weird, scary looking place.

After walking through the supposed front gate to the city, Lucy and the others started their journey towards the time gate. Lucy sensed the artefact wasn't in the same place, but it was definitely on their path. She noticed that there were dead trees and white colored powder on the ground.

”Is it winter here?” she wondered aloud.

”It's very hard to tell”, Theodore answered. ”But I can see this same powder on those mountains over there as well. I think the darkness here isn't as thick as it was in the city.”

”I agree”, Happy said. ”I can see things better here too.”

Lucy picked up fistful of the powder to look at it better. She felt the surface of the powder and noticed that it was harder than snow.

”This isn't snow”, she informed the others.

”What else can it be? I doubt there's white sand anywhere in Fiore”, Lector asked.

”It can only be the crystal flake powder I saw floating in the air in the Sky City Crocus”, Lucy explained. ”These flakes are souls of human beings who couldn't return to the Valhalla because the dormant Clock of Time has closed the pathways there as well. Or that's what I learned from Lisanna in Crocus.”

”So we are walking on a dunes made of dead human souls?” Happy asked, looking horrified. He then rose on his wings. ”I'm not walking anymore!”

”That's a very respectful idea of you, Happy”, Lucy said. ”However, I doubt they care. They've probably been sleeping for a very long time.”

”My opinion still stands!” Happy exclaimed as Lucy dropped the flakes to the ground.

”Alright, Happy”, Lucy said, amused by the cat's antics.

It was only a good thing that she was still able to feel that way. She was so worried about Natsu and others that it had turned her into a shadow of what she had used to be. If she assumed that they had survived, they could have died, and she wouldn't be able to live with that. Even though she secretly hoped that they were alright, there was still a possibility that something had gone horribly wrong after Lucy had ran away.

”Wait”, Theodore suddenly said and drew his sword out. ”I saw something over there...” he added quietly and pointed towards the path they were walking.

He was right. Lucy could also see a shadowy creature there, but it was gone as soon as it appeared.

Theodore swore.

”What's going on?” Froche asked.

”Rogue is somewhere out here keeping an eye on us”, Theodore said.

”I think we all know what he's after and who has ordered him to do that”, Lector said, glancing at Lucy, who swallowed hard.

”That creature is known as Shadow Guardian. It's one of the strongest Soulless out there”, Theodore added. ”We are in deep trouble if Rogue orders the Guardian to attack us here.”

”How?”

”Shadow Guardian is the strongest when it attacks in the shadows. That's where it gets its name as well.”

”Oh... we're screwed?” Lucy said quietly as she summoned a Dark Javelin to her so she could defend herself from the enemy.

”If we're fast enough, and reach a place that isn't completely taken over by darkness, we'll have better chances to survive the inevitable battle”, Theodore said. ”Is the artefact far away from here?”

”No, it's right over there”, Lucy pointed at the faint blue light that she could see in the middle of the darkness. ”Let's hurry, shall we?”

Everyone nodded.

Froche and Lector also got up on their wings while Lucy and Theodore began to run towards the artefact. As they ran, they had to keep an eye on the shadow that was moving fast around them. Sometimes it disappeared into the ground, but only to reappear again at a different spot – but it never attacked them for some reason. Maybe it was only looking after them? Or spying on them for Rogue?

”It disappeared”, Theodore said after few moments. ”But it's best if we keep our weapons ready, Lucy. I have seen this monster in action before. It likes to surprise its prey, so be careful.”

Lucy nodded, and picked up the hovering artefact. As she looked at it, she began to feel hopeful that maybe this could help them to get to Caelum. She was still worried about everyone's well being and she also wanted to have another talk with Sae about the future. But she wanted to meet the goddess face to face for that discussion.

”Lucy, can you sense the gate better now?” Happy asked, bringing Lucy back from her thoughts.

”Yeah, it's that way”, Lucy answered.

”I can see something glowing in that direction”, Lector said. ”Should we go check it out?”

”No, we have to stay together”, Theodore said. ”If we get separated, Shadow Guardian would use it as a advantage and take us out one by one.”

”Alright then”, Lector said, sounding a lot like Sting.

”I'm feeling hungry”, Froche said.

”Want some red snapper I stole from Crocus?” Happy asked.

”Sure.”

”Happy, did you really steal more red snapper in Crocus?” Lucy asked in disbelief as Happy gave Froche the red fish.

”I couldn't resist. Sorry”, Happy said, trying to sound sincere with his apology.

”You're not being sincere, kitty, but I forgive you anyway.”

**********

As they continued their walk on the path, it became clear that the Shadow Guardian had only been tracking them down because it didn't reappear. Lucy and Theodore put their weapons away, and the journey continued. The glowing light in the distance became clear slowly but surely. Lucy was also able to sense the time gate closer and closer to them, and began to feel impatient. If it was a gate to Caelum, they could all reunite again and Lucy would be able to prove her annoying subconcience that Natsu and others were alright, and not dead.

The glowing light in the distance turned out to be a huge, tall tower. It looked very old, and ancient. Glowing light came from the blue lamps that were attached on the sides of it. On the both sides of the entrance there were statues, that were destroyed to the point where it was hard to tell what they had once looked like. Pieces of stone laid on the crystal flake covered ground.

”Hmm, where now?” Happy asked.

”I think we have to go inside”, Lucy answered. ”I can clearly sense that the time gate is close.”

”This tower also gives us a advantage against the Shadow Guardian”, Theodore said. ”I believe it will come after us again soon.”

”Then we will definitely go in”, Lucy decided, and took a step towards the door.

The door opened once she got close enough, and Lucy stepped in. She found herself standing in a dimly lit corridor. Next to the black walls there was hovering balls of blue light keeping it from being completely dark. As Lucy kept walking in the corridor – followed by others – she soon found herself standing in a huge hall. In the middle of the hall there was a huge blue crystal. Faint blue light covered up everything in the room. There were also more balls of blue light hovering next to the black walls, close to the ceiling. There were also old, broken benches everywhere in the hall. Lucy also noticed two staircases going up on the both sides of the crystal, and she knew that one of them would take her and the others to the time gate.

”According to this book I found, this tower was once used as a Gondola transportation station between this city here and the people who lived in the mountains”, Theodore spoke up. ”There are visitor notes here as well. The last note is dated on March 28, 1550X.”

”So we are somewhere in the future then”, Lucy said. ”We know that when Crocus fell from the sky, the year was 1300X.”

”But we obviously are somewhere even further in the future since that town we came from was in ruins, and the furniture in this place doesn't look new”, Lector said.

”Something must have happened after Crocus fell. This place and the ruined town are obvious hints”, Lucy said, and brushed her chin. ”I'm only assuming this but I wouldn't be that surprised if the catastrophe in 1300X caused a outbreak of a war between Fiore and Reana. I'm sure that the old hatred was always there. It just needed a catalyst to make everything burn again.”

”That's more than possible”, Theodore said. ”Lisanna's plan was to cause chaos, right? If she wanted that so much, turning Fiore and Reana against one another would be perfect. They would take care of that chaos themselves, and because we live in the future now, the war would have been even more devastating than any of the past wars.”

”Does that book say anything else?” Lector asked.

”Not really. The history section of this book only mentions that the ruined city was called Seahaven. It was a town based on fishing but it eventually got destroyed by natural disasters. That happened in 1530X. Most people just left the place, with only a few were left behind”, Theodore read. ”It's the last history entry in this book.”

”I think we need to hurry to the time gate. I have a horrible hunch that we shouldn't stay stuck here any longer”, Lucy said. ”Let's take the right staircase. I can sense the time gate in that direction.”

”So now we gotta climb stairs who knows how long?” Happy asked and sighed. ”I wish we could find it easier...”

”I don't think the time gate is really that far, Happy.”

”I hope you're right, Luce, because if you're wrong, you're gonna buy me more red snapper!”

”Okay, okay, funny kitty. Let's go.”

After walking through the endless corridors and rooms, Lucy noticed that she wasn't even sure where they were anymore. Every room and corridor looked the same. And even when she followed her own senses to locate the time gate, it was harder than she had thought. She didn't want to give up. What drove her forward was the fact that she might be able to see everyone once again, and continue their journey together. She really needed that right now. Not to mention the fact that she missed Natsu's warmth.

_I hope Natsu and others are alive and well. I really need Natsu right now,_ Lucy thought.

”Lucy, where are you going?” Happy asked, bringing the blonde back from her thoughts.

”What? I'm trying to find the gate!” she said.

”I don't think you need to anymore because it's in this room”, Theodore's voice said from the said room – which Lucy had passed by while being deep in her thoughts.

”How come you noticed it and I didn't?” Lucy complained as she followed Happy into the room that looked like a hall. It was smaller than the main hall, but it was still big enough to store a huge, purple colored time gate which stood in the middle of the furniture shambles.

”It looks like it's already reacting to the artefact”, Lector pointed out.

”But why is it purple? This must be the first purple time gate we've seen so far”, Happy wondered.

”You know, I really don't care about the meaning of the color now”, Lucy told them. ”I just want to see that others are OK... Especially Nora.”

”Why Nora?” Theodore asked.

”I just can't shake off this feeling that something's wrong with her”, Lucy answered.

”I'm pretty sure they're alright, Lucy”, Lector said. ”Nora and Sting probably saved all of them at the last minute like true heroes!”

”Natsu's a better hero than them”, Happy retorted.

”I'm sure they worked together to save themselves”, Theodore calmly said. ”And if it bothers you, Lucy, we could ask Rogue about them”, he added.

”That piece of information comes with a price”, said a voice from the other side of the room. ”And I'm not willingly giving anything for free”, Rogue added.

”You know something about our friends, don't you?” Lucy asked immediately.

”Yes, I do”, Rogue said, smirking. ”But, like I said, you have to make a deal with me regarding that information, Seeress.”

”How did you even know we are in this room?” Theodore calmly asked.

Rogue snapped his fingers, and a huge swirl of black smoke appeared next to him. From the smoke appeared a black, winged creature.

Theodore inhaled and immediately drew out his sword.

”I assume you are aware what this creature is then, Theodore”, Rogue said, looking amused.

”Yes, I have seen this particular Soulless many, many times in the past”, Theodore answered.

”Good, then we don't need to waste time on the introductions”, Rogue said and the Shadow Guardian growled.

”That thing is bigger than I thought”, Lector said with a shaky voice.

”Fro thinks so too...” Froche said as he hid behind Lector and Happy – who was also shaky, but tried to look like he wasn't scared at all.

”What do we have to pay for you to give us the information we want?” Lucy asked, turning her attention back on Rogue.

”I want you to come with me, and I will take you to my Master”, he answered.

”What about the Exceeds and Theodore?”

”If you think I'm letting them go just like that, you're wrong, Seeress. Theodore and the Exceeds are going to die, of course.”

”And what will you get from this deal?” Lucy asked.

”I will become free at last”, Rogue said. ”You are very useful to us, Seeress. If you fall into darkness, you will open the doorway to the other timelines, and therefore I will be freed. But, in order to get there, you have to come with me. Shadow Guardian, attack!”

Shadow Guardian growled loudly and attacked as Rogue disappeared into a swirl of black smoke.

” _If you're able to beat the Shadow Guardian, I will let you go for a while but if you lose, you will come with me, Seeress”,_ Rogue's voice echoed in the room.

”I guess we just have to kill this monster then”, Lucy said as she summoned Dark Javelins. ”And when we're done, we'll get out of here!”

”Be careful”, Theodore said. ”Shadow Guardian is really fast.”

Lucy nodded, and then threw a set of Dark Javelins at the flying creature, who dodged all of them.

Theodore threw a small tornado at the creature and it shrieked in confusion as the tornado hit, and sent it flying into the air. Once the creature regained its balance, it retaliated by throwing black spikes at him. Theodore got hit by a couple of them but was able to dodge most of the attack.

Shadow Guardian turned its attention back on Lucy, who immediately summoned more Dark Javelins. However, she did find it weird that this creature didn't care about Theodore or the Exceeds at all – it's main target was Lucy. Rogue's main objective probably was to kidnap Lucy no matter what. And he probably had also told Shadow Guardian to take her at all costs.

_I'm not leaving anywhere until I've seen everyone, sorry,_ Lucy thought as she summoned even more Dark Javelins, all directed at the Shadow Guardian, who only growled.

”Get him out of this room, Happy! I'll take care of this thing myself”, she told the blue Exceed.

”Lucy, no!” Theodore said while he held a hand on a bleeding wound that Lector was desperately trying to take care of.

”It doesn't want you, Theo”, Lucy said calmly. ”It's after me, not you. Let me destroy it myself.”

”Lucy, we're talking about one of the strongest Soulless”, Theodore tried again. ”I know you're strong but this monster is stronger. Especially if it's able to draw darkness to him. He will kill you.”

”No, I seriously doubt he will”, Lucy said. ”I'm not going to allow it. Please, just go.”

Theodore looked troubled for a moment but then sighed. ”I guess we'll do as you say. But we will save you if needed”, he added as he stood up and began to walk away from the room.

”Sounds like a plan then”, Lucy said and then turned her attention back onto the Shadow Guardian, which was now readying a different type of attack – a breath attack.

_Was it actually a dragon that had been turned into a Soulless!?_ Lucy thought as she created a wall of Dark Javelins in front of herself to avoid getting hurt. Then the breath came and hit Lucy's shield. She was surprised at how powerful it actually was and had to struggle to maintain her own balance. She wasn't going to die here. She was definitely going to see Natsu and others again in Caelum!

_Okay, time for a retaliation,_ Lucy thought after Shadow Guardian's attack had been successfully blocked, and she waved her hand so that the Dark Javelins broke the shield formation and then Lucy waved her hand again to order her weapons to hit the monster. Javelins hit it everywhere but the creature still kept moving. Shadow Guardian began to approach Lucy again and this time it looked really angry.

Lucy summoned a Dark Javelin to protect herself from Shadow Guardian's deadly claws as it tried to slice her. She then summoned another Dark Javelin over the monster's back. It was pointed right at his upper back, between the root of his wings. Shadow Guardian had no time to protect itself as the Javelin flew right through his upper back, and came out from the chest.

Lucy jumped few steps behind as the monster shrieked in pain. After a few minutes, Shadow Guardian laid dead on the stone floor. It slowly faded away, leaving behind only destruction.

And what's more, the room began to fade away as well, and a familiar looking, mist covered place appeared before her eyes. So she had been right the whole time – they had been lost in time after all!

”Lucy, are you OK?” Theodore asked.

”I'm OK. Are you, Theo? You got pretty badly hurt”, Lucy said as she walked over to him.

”I'm fine, Lucy”, Theodore said. ”I also assume that the tower and the place covered in darkness was actually nothing but a illusion Shadow Guardian created to mess up with our heads”, he added as Lucy checked his wounds – which had disappeared completely!

”So that place where we were at wasn't real?” Lector asked.

”Excatly. It was created to lure us into the trap he and Rogue planned for us. Luckily, they weren't successful.”

”But Rogue will come after her again, won't he?” Happy asked.

”Regina probably told him to chase me down no matter where we go”, Lucy said. ”So we must be careful. Who knows what kind of a monster he'll summon next.”

”Also, we need to figure out how to erase that darkness from him”, Lector said. He glanced at the sad looking green Exceed, and added,

”Froche doesn't want to see us fighting with him anymore.”

”We have to talk about it with everyone in Caelum”, Lucy said. ”Although, if we accidentally succeed in helping him, it's only a good thing. We can't let him get swallowed by darkness the same way Lisanna was.”

”You got a good point there”, Theodore agreed. ”Should we use the gate now?” he added as he stood up from the ground.

Lucy nodded, turned around, and walked towards the gate. She took the artefact from her pocket and showed it to the gate, which reacted to it at once. As it opened, Lucy couldn't help but feel really uncomfortable and insecure. What if she wasn't able to control her darkness? What would happen to her if she let it take her over? Would she become crazy like Lisanna had?

”Lucy, don't worry about it”, Theodore said. ”You'll do fine. Plus, there is a way to erase that darkness from your soul if you want.”

”I guess you're right, Theo”, Lucy sighed. ”I just feel like it gets stronger the more I use these powers...”

”It does get stronger, but I believe that you can control it without turning into a sociopath that Lisanna was”, Theodore smiled. ”Shall we go now?”

”I hope that this gate takes us to Caelum”, Happy said as he flew through, followed by the other Exceeds.

”I hope it's Caelum as well”, Theodore said. ”I want to see my daughter”, he added as he stepped through the gate.

Lucy sighed. ”I guess it's better if I continue this journey then...” she sighed again, and then stepped through the gate.

_Nora, please be alright. If your well being is in danger because of my decision to take these powers, I don't know if I can live with the guilt..._


	29. Dust To Dust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I'm here to post a new chapter for this story. :) I was supposed to post this last week but then I got really into other things and completely forgot to post, I'm so sorry for that. :) Well, anyways, here's the new chapter and I hope you like it. I enjoyed writing it because I finally got to write these parts of the story. I had the outline done for this part in 2014 actually, but back then I was planning it for another fandom but decided to add it to Shattered instead along with few other story ideas that were bugging me in my mind at the time when I was planning this one. 
> 
> Happy reading! :)
> 
> PS. If Post-Apocalypse concept triggers you, do proceed with care. You have been warned.

_ARC 4: The End Of Days_

_A Dying World  
_ _Year: 1750X_

After coming out from the time gate Lucy and others had expected to find themselves in Caelum, but instead, they found themselves standing in a desert made of the white crystal flake snow. The sun shone brightly on them, making them look like ice. As they looked around, they could see dead trees everywhere in the middle of the desert.

And in the distance there was a dead ocean, and there stood a abandoned, darkened Sky City which did look familiar – it wasn't that long ago when they had seen the same city in the sky in the Old Hargeon. But Sky City Hargeon showed no signs of humans living there anymore. Actually, the whole place looked like it was slowly dying. Was this really what happened when the Clock of Time stopped moving forward? The world would slowly die? Why would Lisanna want to cause this anyway?

Lucy couldn't understand the logic behind it no matter how hard she tried.

”So we're in the dying Earthland now, aren't we?” Happy asked.

Lucy nodded. ”Being here, and seeing this proves that Natsu and others failed to stop Sky City Crocus' fall...”

”So the Clock of Time has stopped moving forward”, Theodore concluded. ”That means The End of Days has begun, and this is what it looks like at the end of it all.”

”We need to find a way to get to Caelum and fast”, Lucy said. ”We'll die here. Everything's dead.”

”I agree, Lucy. Do you sense a artefact or a gate anywhere?”

”No”, Lucy said and sighed. ”I guess, we should look around and try to find it anyway.”

”Let's do that”, Theodore agreed, while the Exceeds nodded.

”We have to be careful. I doubt Rogue has left us alone just yet”, Lucy added as she looked around and was able to see a familiar looking tower in the distance. She also found the town they had been in while being lost in time – which Lucy was sure was just a paradox – and noticed that the town actually looked more familiar than she thought.

”Lucy?” Theodore said.

”That's Magnolia...” she whispered and began to walk towards the town. Why had it been renamed as Seahaven in those stupid books they had found? What could have happened that made them do that?

”Lucy, wait up! You can't go alone!” Happy yelled.

”Come on, people!” Lucy just said as she kept running towards the city she had once called her hometown.

Once Lucy reached the said city, she noticed that the walls from alternative 794X were still standing around the city. It was partially destroyed but still standing. Front gate had been destroyed a long time ago, and the bloodstained flags that represented Reanian Empire laid on the ground forgotten. Lucy stepped in, and noticed that a lot of houses were covered in the crystal flake sand. How long was it since this happened?

”I get a feeling that our theory of a new war between Reanians and Fioreans was exactly what happened”, Theodore said. ”Look, this old screen is destroyed and covered up in the text 'Never again will I trust Reanians!'. These screens are Reanian technology.”

”So when the Sky City Crocus fell, this world fell into chaos that destroyed everything that was left of Earthland”, Lucy concluded. ”It does make a lot of sense. After all, Lisanna was considered to be a Reanian for a long time.”

”I just wanna get out of here!” Happy said. ”This place gives me the creeps!”

”Fro thinks so too!” Froche chorused.

Both Exceeds – and Lector – were floating in the air. Probably because the thought of walking on the dead souls of once living beings still terrified them.

”I think we gotta find shelter”, Theodore said, pointing towards the sky behind the Sky City Hargeon ruins, ”That storm will be fierce.”

”Let's go to the guild. I hope it's still standing unlike most of these houses...” Lucy said, looking around – most houses were destroyed or completely covered by the crystal flake dunes. But the guild headquarters was located closer to the ocean, so Lucy assumed that the dunes hadn't reached those parts yet.

”We better hurry then. That storm is coming at us pretty fast”, Theodore said.

Lucy nodded, and the group ran through the main street towards the guild Lucy missed so much. As they went, Lucy noticed that a lot of battles had taken place because old burned houses started to come into view as well as houses that had never been even finished yet. She could also see old, dried blood on the walls and was even sure that there was a old skeleton lying in an alley at one point.

As the group got closer to the ocean, they noticed another wall had been built. This wall was different. It was higher, and also more advanced compared to the stone wall earlier. However, the front gate of this wall was also left open, and it was easy for Lucy and others to enter. Behind this wall there was a different type of city – it was more advanced, more futuristic but just as dead as the rest of the city. However, they were able to see a old hologram screen on the side of a huge building say 'Fiorean Academy of Science – Magnolia Headquarters'. Next to that building stood Fairy Tail headquarters in its usual place. Next to the guild there was the terminal which had been used for evacuation in 1100X.

”I wonder why the Sky City Hargeon is laying over there instead of Magnolia's sky city”, Happy wondered aloud.

”They were floating cities. Maybe they just descended them to the locations the cities were floating over at the time”, Lector said in a annoying smart ass voice.

Happy glared at him as a answer.

”Okay, you two”, Lucy said. ”Calm down, and let's go into the guild before that storm comes.”

Two Exceeds nodded, and the group hurried towards the guild. When they reached it, Theodore pulled the old wooden doors open and the group stepped inside – just in time to get away from the heavy rain that began to fall from the sky.

Lucy looked around in the guild hall. It looked a lot like it should be, but she noticed that there were a lot of signs that people had left the building in a hurry. A lot of old dishes were left on the tables, furniture laid on the floor and in the bar there were a lot of drinks that laid on the table. There were also countless old newspapers on the table, and on the floors.

”These newspapers are dated to the year 1100X. Wasn't that the year when Sky Cities were launched to the sky?” Theodore said.

”Yes, it was”, Lucy answered. ”Is there anything newer?”

”Not really, just some old battle plans to take over the control of this city from Reanians. These are dated back to 794X though.”

”I wonder why those are still here though. We did fix that part of the timeline after all”, Lucy wondered. ”Maybe it's another paradox?”

”Wouldn't it be useless to fix these anyway though? You did say that the Clock of Time has stopped moving forward.”

”Yeah, it is useless. But paradoxes still happen. Like the one we were just stuck in, remember?”

”Oh, yes, I do”, Theodore said and smiled. ”So, do you sense anything?”

”Not yet. But I do hope that I'll sense something soon. Something's telling me that we shouldn't stay here too long...”

Lucy couldn't have been more right – Rogue was standing on the second floor balcony and looked at her, wondering how he could kidnap her without Theodore and the Exceeds interrupting him. This was a very important mission. Regina would never be able to do what she wanted if Lucy wasn't brought to her. And Rogue would do anything to make this happen. He wasn't going to let Lisanna's fate be repeated. He will make sure that he'd succeed. No matter what!

_Hmm, that Exceed in the frog outfit though... I think I know him somewhere but where?_ Rogue thought as he looked at the said Exceed who was now sitting next to a blue Exceed on a table. _No, now is not the time to think about the past. I have to concentrate so I can take the Seeress with me,_ he added as he disappeared into a swirl of black smoke – just in time when Lucy's head turned to look at his direction.

But Rogue was sure that she didn't see him.

*********

As the storm raged outside, Lucy and others tried to find something they could eat but had no luck. Even Happy didn't have any fish they could have fried for food. Lucy noticed that she started to hate this situation as long as it went by. She knew that finding food outside was just as useless because there was nothing that was alive outside. Everything had died long ago.

”Maybe we could turn Happy into a soup”, Lector said.

”That's cruel, Lector”, Froche scolded him as Happy shot Lector another death glare.

”I know. I'm just so hungry!”

”We all are, but we just have to forget it. There's no way we can go and eat things that are 200 years old or more”, Theodore said. ”We could eat wood though. It doesn't seem to be moldy at all.”

”Where the hell did that come from?” Lector asked.

”In Zephyrus, before Regina changed everything, poor people ate what they had – shoes, wood, leaves, grass, you name it. They were that desperate, and didn't see a way out from it.”

”Sounds horrible”, Lucy said, feeling bad for the people she didn't even know.

”It was terrible. And Tomas did nothing about it either. But Regina did”, Theodore said and smiled at the last sentence, and his eyes seemed to become distant as if he got lost into the memories of his marriage with Regina. Then, suddenly, he furrowed his eyebrows.

”Wait a minute, I don't remember some parts of my life with Regina anymore...” he said.

”So I'm not the only one with memory issues”, Lector said. ”I've started to lose my memories of Nora.”

”What?” Lucy asked.

”I don't remember how she came to Sabertooth, or when it happened. I only know she was a member, and that she and Sting fell in love.”

”Oh no”, Lucy whispered. ”This isn't good!”

”What does it mean?” Happy asked.

”It means the timeline itself is starting to collapse. We seriously need to hurry to Caelum!”

”Not in this storm we won't. I just saw a tree fly past the window over there, Lucy. Going outside is too dangerous. We'll wait for the storm to pass and go look for the gate again after that, OK?” Theodore said. ”I'm sure we still have time.”

”I hope so. I just want to see Natsu for the last time before it happens. We're gonna disappear along with the timeline when it does”, Lucy whispered.

”Then I have to make sure that when it happens, I'm with my wife and my daughter”, Theodore calmly said. ”I have already accepted this fate. I knew that I may end up dying on this journey because I got kicked out from my time.”

”You really do love her, don't you?” Frosche asked.

”I'd do anything for Regina and Aurora”, Theodore said. He smiled.

After the storm calmed down and eventually disappeared, Lucy and the others were finally able to continue with their search for the artefact and the time gate. Lucy was finally able to sense the said artefact and its gate, and guided them to the seashore. She didn't know why her senses told her to go there but she didn't really complain. The most important thing now was to get out of this dying world and make sure that others were OK in Caelum. Especially Nora. Lucy still couldn't take her out of her mind because she couldn't shake off the feeling that something was terribly, terribly wrong with her. And Lucy definitely wanted to know what it was. After all, their souls were still connected to one another so what if one of them died? Wouldn't kill both of them? Wasn't that the reason why Lisanna eventually so eagerly tried to kill Nora instead of Lucy?

_I can't let Nora to die. Not yet,_ Lucy thought as she walked forward on the sand.

It was disturbing that she couldn't hear any sea waves hitting the shore, or birds chirping or anything. This world had quieted down years ago, and nothing would wake it up again. It was the sad truth which Lucy had tried to deny for a while, but walking on the beach without any signs of life anywhere in the surroundings had proved her that this wasn't a dream.

This was the fate of Earthland.

Lucy wished she could just go back in time and tell Lisanna to not to trust Regina at all. Hell, she would have warned everyone about Horologium Saeculum! If people had known what was coming, all of this would have been avoided.

_It's better not to think about of it. What's done is done. I'm sure Sae has a plan how to save what there is to save,_ Lucy thought. _And if I die, I'll make sure that Natsu and others are with me..._

*********

_Hmm, something's telling me that your ability to See things is affected by your darkness,_ Rogue thought as he followed the group on their walk on the beach. He couldn't believe that Lucy had just walked past the artefact for the time gate. He found it very amusing. Maybe this was a perfect way to make the blonde doubt herself. Maybe, if she doubted herself enough, she'd go with Rogue willingly? It would be perfect.

” _Why haven't you brought her to me yet, Rogue?”_ Regina's voice asked in his mind suddenly. She sounded irritated and impatient.

” _I haven't been able to because Theodore is very dedicated to protect her”,_ Rogue answered. It was no point in hiding the truth from this woman. She would find out everything eventually. How, that, Rogue did not know.

” _Are you sure you're not just being lazy?”_ Regina demanded to know.

” _No, Master. Also, I do have a plan on how to get to her. Of course, if I fail, it is unfortunate.”_

” _It will be_ very _unfortunate for you, Rogue. Don't disappoint me like Lisanna did. Bring Lucy to me as soon as possible. We don't have much time left before the timeline collapses.”_

” _Yes, Master. I will do my best”,_ Rogue promised and the presence of Regina disappeared from his mind.

He looked at the golden shining artefact that was floating only a few steps away from him. Lucy had already gone further away, so it was safe enough to emerge from the shadows and take the artefact into his possession. With this, he would blackmail Lucy to leave with him.

”Also, I better take the Exceeds and Theodore with me so they won't go and tell the others what I did...” Rogue mumbled as he picked the floating object up.

He called the shadows again, and decided to go wait for Lucy and the others to the location where the time gate was.

*********

After having walked for a long time – completely oblivious to the fact that the enemy was following them – Lucy and others finally started to see something else rather than just white beach sand. They began to see a lot of pieces of houses laying on the ground, and also in the ocean. For a moment Lucy felt how her heart raced because she thought that what they would find would be the ruins of Crocus, but instead, they found another city ruins there – Zephyrus Sky City laid on the beach completely destroyed, yet still recognizable. Most of the buildings were destroyed, and only a few were still standing. Every window was broken, and it looked like this city had been in this state for a very long time.

Lucy and others silently went into the city through the main entrance, which had been left open – probably during evacuation procedures when the city was attacked – and they found themselves standing in the central park of the old 875X Zephyrus. Of course, now the park was lifeless, and every house was in shambles. Fountain didn't have water in it. Even the statue that represented Regina had fallen to the ground.

”Aah, here it is”, Theodore said, breaking up the silence.

He picked something up from the ground and began to press the buttons of the device.

”Wow, I did not expect this...”

”What is it?” Lucy asked.

”This device is a clock that can always tell what year is it, no matter what. According to this, we're in 1750X. That's 450 years later after Crocus' fall.”

”I thought we might be even further in the future actually”, Lucy said.

”I found an old newspaper”, Lector said. ”It's dated a day after the Crocus' disaster”, he added and handed the paper to Theodore, who immediately began to read it through.

”This article says that the catastrophe killed at least 2 million people, who were trapped in their apartments in the city. This also mentions us trying to save the city, but that our efforts were in vain because the afloat system eventually collapsed and caused the fall. Survivors say that they saw a glimpse of golden light in the middle of the city right before it hit the ground”, Theodore explained and smiled. ”This means that Natsu and others made it out there by using a gateway Nora created. They're in Caelum now, and are safe.”

Lucy couldn't say anything. Instead, she cried, but not because she was sad. She cried because she now knew that Natsu and others were still alive and well – except for Nora. When it came to her, Lucy just couldn't shake off the growing need to go to her immediately. Something warned her that if something happens, Lucy would be in trouble as well.

”Does the article say anything else?” Lector asked.

”This article also assumes that me, Regina and Lucy died along with those other 2 million people because nobody saw us leave the place. Witnesses also say that they believe the culprit who destroyed the city also died there because there was so many explosions”, Theodore continued. ”This says, 'if it is indeed true that our beloved emperor and empress, along with the Seeress, has passed away along with the unfortunate citizens of Sky City Crocus, may their souls rest in peace'.”

”Since when did Reanians think of Lucy as some sort of a saint anyway?” Happy asked.

”Time Mages' religion is the main religion in Reana”, Theodore explained. ”Even though Regina and Lucy are basically enemies, the religion forbids her to harm the Seeress.”

”That's the reason why I'm still alive? Religion?” Lucy asked, feeling amused.

”Even though you wouldn't believe it, Regina is actually quite religious”, Theodore said.

”I find that hard to believe but whatever”, Happy said, serious look on his face. ”Where should we go now? This doesn't look like a place we can stay in.”

”Is the artefact or the gate here, Lucy?”

”No”, Lucy fell quiet for a minute. ”Hmm, something's wrong. I can't seem to be able to locate the artefact anymore. I can easily guide us to the time gate, but if we don't have a key for it, we're stuck here.”

”It might be the darkness that's preventing you from being able to do so”, Theodore wondered.

”Is Lucy going to be OK?” Froche asked. ”I mean, Rogue and Lisanna both changed...”

”I'm sure Luce will be fine once she and Natsu meets again!” Happy exclaimed grin plastered on his face. ”Because they looooooooove one another!”

”You really can't stop that tongue rolling thing, huh?” Lucy asked him.

”Never!”

Lucy shook her head at Happy's adorable antics, and turned to Froche, who still had a troubled look on his face. She kneeled and carassed the Exceed's head. ”I promise I will fight the darkness as hard as I can so I won't turn into someone like them, Froche. And even if I start to change, someone will save me. Just like you will eventually save Rogue, right?”

”I will?”

”Of course. When the time is right, you will.”

”Fro thinks so, too!”

Lucy smiled and stood up again. ”Let's keep going, everyone. I'm sure we'll find our way out of here somehow.”

Everyone nodded as a answer.

After they exited the ruins of Zephyrus, Lucy guided the group towards the time gate. Of course, it still bothered her that no artefact had been found but when she thought about it, there had been times when both artefact and the gate had been in the same place. What if this, also, was one of those times? Lucy hoped that it was, because if it wasn't, it meant that her dark magic was starting to affect her powers as a Seeress and that wasn't a good thing.

On their way to the direction where the time gate was, Lucy and others saw more towns that were nothing but ruins. But these were even more old than any of the sky cities, so Lucy assumed they were the cities that the Soulless Army had destroyed after Lisanna let them free to cause chaos in 875X. They also saw a lot of trains on their way. Most of them were covered up with the white crystal flake sand, but some of them were still clearly visible. Lucy couldn't even imagine the horror of the passengers who got trapped there when the Soulless was free. Judging by the mess inside the train cars and the broken windows, the Soulless had eventually forced themselves in and killed everyone. Lucy couldn't believe that Lisanna would allow something like that to happen.

_But then again, she wasn't mentally stable at the time..._ Lucy thought as they passed the train graveyard.

”Hey, I can see the time gate!” Happy interrupted them, and pointed towards a dead tree few meters away.

Golden time gate was standing there – and was already activated? By whom!?

”Why is the gate already activated?” Lucy said. ”It shouldn't be activated yet!”

”There's someone else here with us”, Theodore said, drawing his sword out. ”We need to be careful when we approach the gate.”

Lucy nodded and summoned a Dark Javelin to her. Then they approached the gate with caution. Then, suddenly, a wall of dark smoke surrounded them and the gate was left out of it.

”What is this!?” Happy exclaimed.

”A trap!?” Lucy said at the same time, as she looked around.

She definitely didn't like this.

And then, a swirl of black smoke appeared right in front of the gate, and from there emerged a very amused looking Rogue holding a black sword. Lucy knew exactly what he was here for.

”We had a deal, Rogue. When you make a deal with someone, you can't just back off”, she told him.

”I don't usually back off from deals, but in your case I am gladly doing so. However, since I'm not as insane as Lisanna was, I still offer you a chance to save your companions”, Rogue said.

”Well, let's hear it then!”

”You'll come with me, and I'll spare Theo's and the Exceeds' lives. They will be able to walk through this gate and go to Caelum, but you're coming with me.”

”So you're asking me to sacrifice my own freedom for their freedom? That's a stupid deal, Rogue! I'd rather fight and defeat you, and then go through this gate.”

Rogue smiled mockingly. ”And do you really think that Sae wants someone with darkness in their soul to enter Caelum, hm?”

”What?” Lucy asked.

”Don't believe him. He's obviously just trying to confuse you”, Theodore said. ”I suggest you'll back off and let me fight him.”

”No, I want to know what he means first”, Lucy rejected his offer. ”Rogue, what do you mean? Why wouldn't Sae allow me to enter Caelum? I'm the Seeress!”

”Oh, Seeress or not, if you have fallen into darkness or even possess dark magic, the Goddess of Time isn't that eager to allow you to enter the city. She will do it unwillingly because the ones who possess dark magic can also reveal what her true face is. The first Seer of Darkness was banished from Caelum because he saw what the goddess really was. Ever since then Sae hasn't allowed darkness to enter Caelum. She purifies people from darkness in a secret room in Caelum. Your fate will be the same as theirs, Seeress.”

”Sae wouldn't do something like that...” Lucy said, trying to fight back the growing feelings of doubts.

Not to mention how she remembered all the bad hunches she had gotten about Sae in the Sky City Crocus, too.

”Oh, but she is a goddess, and she most certainly will. However, if you come with me instead, Regina will not hurt you. And neither will I. Will you go to Caelum, and get darkness painfully erased from you – meaning you will also cause someone's death – or are you coming with me, and nobody has to die?” Rogue said.

”Whose death is she going to cause?” Theodore asked in a cautious tone.

”She will cause Nora's death if she goes to Caelum”, Rogue said slowly in a mocking tone.

”I knew something was wrong with Nora... but am I going to be the one who causes it?” Lucy whispered. ”I can't do that... I just... I...”

”Lucy, he was lying to you!” Lector said. ”He wants you to feel confused and unable to go on, but you need to get your shit together now!”

”If you don't believe me, you can go and see it yourselves. Then, you will change your mind, Seeress. But if you can't handle it, I suggest you come with me now”, Rogue said. ”Sae is a goddess who doesn't truly care about if her children dies. Look around you, Lucy. Do you really think this is a world that's protected by a Goddess of Time? I don't think so. She's a cruel manipulator, who has played her little games with you all this time.”

Lucy didn't know what to say anymore. Was everything she had been doing just a lie? A game played by someone who only pretended to be good?

Rogue looked at her. ”You have had doubts of that phony goddess before, haven't you?”

Lucy didn't answer.

”Ah, I see. You already know that something isn't right with that goddess”, Rogue said. ”Come with me, Lucy, and we will give you all the answers that the goddess would never give you.”

Lucy didn't answer. Rogue's offer was undeniably tempting, but Lucy knew that she wanted to meet Nora. She couldn't shake off the feeling that she needed Lucy soon.

But she couldn't shake off the feeling that Lucy's doubts regarding the goddess were something she shouldn't ignore.

”I will not allow it!” Theodore said and threw a tornado at Rogue, who didn't expect it.

It sent him flying towards the gate, but Rogue was able to teleport himself out of the way.

”Oh no, you don't!” Theodore said and threw another tornado at Rogue, who had tried to come for Lucy.

He, again, teleported out of the way and once he reappeared, he looked annoyed.

”Fine then, Theodore, if you're so willing to die, I will end your existence first. But once you lose, I will take Lucy with me”, he said.

”And if you lose, Lucy comes with _me_ to Caelum”, Theodore said in a annoyed tone.

”Theo, I could have –” Lucy began.

”No, Lucy. You're not fighting against the darkness with darkness”, Theodore interrupted. ”Trust me, I know what I'm doing.”

”Okay then, but please, don't die!” Lucy said.

”I won't”, Theodore said.

”Enough talking!” Rogue yelled, and teleported right in front of Theo, who swung his sword immediately to a protective stance. Then, they began to swing their swords fiercely and from time to time, Theodore threw tornadoes at him, while Rogue threw dark spells at him. Lucy and the Exceeds had to run away from them so they wouldn't get hit.

”I don't like this...” Froche said.

Lucy and the three cats had hidden themselves behind the time gate. There they watched at how the two swordsmen tried to kill one another. Lucy was surprised at how good Theodore actually was. She hasn't really seen him using his sword that often but now that she did, she was relieved to know that he could fight and he did it well. She also noticed from Rogue's expression that he was also impressed by Theodore's talent. But it also gave him a chance to use even more ruthless attacks.

”I doubt Theodore kills him”, Lucy told Froche. ”He knows how you feel, and I know he wouldn't kill your friend.”

”I want to tell him to stop this!” Froche said, but Lucy picked him up to stop him from going to Rogue. She had a hunch that the time wasn't right for this Exceed to do what he was meant to do.

”The time isn't right, Froche. Seeing you isn't going to stop him yet”, Lucy said calmly. ”But it will be soon. You just got to wait a little while more, okay?”

”Okay...” Froche said sadly.

Theodore and Rogue kept clashing their swords together over and over again, and they obviously desperately tried to win over the other. But it was also easy to be seen that as a swordsman Rogue wasn't as strong as he was when he was fighting with Nora earlier. Had he become weaker since then? Back then, he and Nora had been fighting fiercely and a lot of magic power had been used. But this Rogue only relied on his sword, and he wasn't nearly as good at it as Theodore was.

_Rogue was definitely stronger than this before. I wonder what weakens him so much suddenly,_ Lucy thought as she watched the two guys.

_Could it be the monsters he has summoned? What if those are the source of this darkness of his? And if they are, how many of these can he summon until the darkness disappears? We don't have much time left on this timeline, but we should try to save Rogue in any way we can before he ceases to exist._

Theodore kept attacking on and on again on Rogue, who was soon only trying to defend himself. And, in the end, he stumbled and Theodore took his sword away. He then pointed at the Rogue's face.

”You lost, Rogue”, he said.

”Yes, it appears to me that I have, indeed, lost”, Rogue agreed. ”Are you going to kill me now?”

”No, I can't.”

Rogue looked at Froche. ”It's because of that green Exceed, isn't it? He still thinks I'm somebody he used to know, right?”

”He doesn't!” Lector yelled. ”You are somebody he knows!”

”I seriously doubt it. I don't remember him from anywhere”, Rogue mocked. Then he's attention turned back to Lucy.

”And you, Seeress, you will eventually come to Regina's palace because you know perfectly well that you can't stay with others. They will try to give you restrictions. They will try to tell you not to use them. They will eventually tell you that your soul will be purified from the darkness and you will become a mindless puppet just like the other Time Mages are. You will then do everything Goddess Sae asks you to, and you will never be able to go back to that timeline you're all from. You will notice it once you step through this gate. She doesn't want you there, but she lets you in so she can change you. So you better save Nora and run away”, he said and then disappeared into a swirl of black smoke.

Theodore looked at the spot Rogue had laid for a moment and then at the gate suspiciously. ”Lucy, I think he has a point.”

”What? You're gonna start spreading lies about Sae as well?” Lucy asked. ”How could she be evil? She's always so nice...”

”There's actually something wrong with that woman, Lucy. When I went there, I always felt like I wasn't welcome there. If what Rogue said is the truth, you should open the doorway into darkness and go to Regina instead”, Theodore said. ”But then again, he did also mention that Nora is in danger...”

”If Nora's in danger, I need to help her first”, Lucy said and stood up.

”Lucy...”

”No, Theo. Nora is a part of my soul. If she dies, who knows what's gonna happen to me? I will probably die along with her. That's why I'm going to Caelum. If someone's going to hurt me there, I will run. How's that?”

”I can't object the idea, Lucy”, Theodore said and smiled, but his eyes were full of worry.

”Where will you go if something happens, Lucy?” Happy asked sadly.

”What Rogue said I will do”, Lucy whispered.

”Luce, you can't! Then we'll gotta look everywhere for you again!”

”Happy, it'll be fine, don't worry”, Lucy said as she picked him up and hugged him. ”We'll be together again soon, I promise.”

”You better keep that promise or you gotta buy me fish for a month!”

”I promise, Happy”, Lucy said and smiled.

She then turned around to look at the gate.

”Let's go. And remember, no matter how much they may reject us, we will go to Nora and save her.”

”I'm with you!” Lector said, and other murmured their agreements.

Then, they stepped into the time gate.

*********

When he returned, Regina was able to sense that he had failed in his mission to get Lucy. But it was alright. When she turned around, Rogue bowed to her with a smile on his face.

”Why are you smiling even though you know you failed in the mission I gave you?” Regina wanted to know.

”Don't worry, Master. I planted seeds of self doubt into her mind. She will run to Caelum, and save that Nora girl and then come to us just as we wanted”, Rogue answered.

”Hmm, interesting. Please tell me more of this plan that I knew nothing about.”

”Well, you know that Goddess of Time isn't exactly the nicest person in existence, hm? I just told the Seeress that eventually the goddess will let her hatred towards darkness get to her and she will try to use The Purge on Lucy”, Rogue explained. ”Lucy now believes that Nora is in a danger, and has gone to Caelum with that thought in mind.”

”I see. What a marvelous plan, Rogue. I am not disappointed in you at all. Lucy will soon be here with us, and she will open the doorway to the Dimensions Beyond.”

”Yes, Master. Then we'll be freed from this doomed timeline.”

”Exactly. And Goddess Sae has no power over us there. She won't be able to control our fate anymore”, Regina said and smiled. ”You may go now, Rogue.”

”Thank you, Master”, Rogue said, bowed and turned around and left the room.


	30. Nora

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I'm here with another new chapter for this epic drama. :D I recently re-read this new arc through and I really didn't like most of the chapters (the ones I wrote in 2018 after the 2 year long hiatus) but I decided that I will do my best with the next story instead of rewriting these as the story is already complete and published on ffnet.
> 
> I really have nothing else to say except hopefully you enjoy reading the chapter and using the "me teller" in the flashbacks doesn't make the enjoyment hard. I used to write one of my original stories like this back in my late teens so I wanted to do it again for a change. :) 
> 
> Happy reading! ♥

_The City of Time, Caelum  
_ _Year: ???X  
  
_

_I was a piece of the Real One's soul. I don't want to return to the lonely corner of darkness that was created because of a crack in the Menace's shell..._

_But it wasn't always so._

_In the beginning, I was full of light. I was the brightest part of the Real One's soul. But the desperation and fear of the Real One's mother ended those happy days._

_I was cornered._

_And then, the darkness squirmed in from the smallest crack on the Menace's shell._

_I changed._

_I was consumed by the darkness, and I couldn't see the light of the others again._

_And then, suddenly, I saw the darkness leave. But I also saw that the Real One's soul was broken. What should I do?_

_After looking helplessly how a piece after piece left the Real One, I was eventually extracted from her soul as well – I was given a name. And a mission._

_Which I gladly accepted because helping the Real One was the only reason to exist...  
  
_

When Lucy arrived to Caelum through the golden time gate, she looked cautiously around, and noticed that she had no idea of where she was. It was a long hallway with big windows. There were two doors at the both ends of the hallway, which were both guarded.

 _Well, this is just great. If I have to escape, I don't know where to go!_ She thought furiously as Theodore and the Exceeds came through the gate too. After them the time gate closed and she could clearly hear how it got locked up – she definitely did not like that sound at all.

”Did that gate just lock up?” Lector whispered.

”I think it did”, Happy answered just as quietly. ”How can we escape if needed?”

”Lucy will have to use her dark magic”, Theodore sighed. ”I was hoping that it wouldn't come to that but obviously Sae isn't going to allow us to leave just like that.”

”Let's just find the others”, Lucy said. ”Let's pretend nothing's wrong, ok?”

”It's probably for the best”, Theodore agreed. ”Let's go that way. If I remember correctly, the main hall should be that way.”

He pointed at the door in the right end of the corridor.

Lucy nodded and they began to walk to that direction. As they reached the door, the guards opened it for them. They walked into the main hall, which was huge dome shaped room with a class roof. There were doors to three other directions in the palace.

”Father!” yelled a voice so suddenly that it startled everyone.

Followed by fast footsteps, a girl with black hair and deep blue eyes arrived and threw herself on Theodore, who just smiled at her.

 _Wait, is this Aurora Heartfilia?_ Lucy thought as she looked at the two hug each other tightly.

”How have you grown up so old, Aura?” Theodore asked.

”Time flows differently in Caelum”, Aurora answered. ”Few months in the outside world is 13 years in Caelum.”

”Well, then I'm sorry I've been away for so long, dear”, Theodore said smiling.

”Did you meet mother? Why isn't she here with you?” Aurora's voice was disappointed.

”I did meet her on many occassions, but she refused to come with me. She's a bit stubborn, and I've learned not to force her to anything. But I do have a feeling that we'll meet her again.”

”Then I'll make sure that I'll be there with you!”

”Aura –”

”Do you really think I care about the danger, father? No.”

”You have obviously inherited your mother's stubborness then”, Theodore said.

”Yes, I have. Also, aren't you going to introduce me to the others?” Aurora asked and turned around to look at the Exceeds and Lucy, who all shivered at the sight – Aurora looked exactly like a copy of Regina, but this girl wasn't scary at all. This girl's soul was fulfilled with light.

”This is my daughter Aurora, or simply Aura”, Theodore introduced her. ”Aura, this is Lucy, and the cats are Happy, Lector and Froche.”

”Nice to meet you all”, Aurora said, smiling like a small sun.

”Why are you so happy?” Happy immediately asked. ”Aren't you supposed to be as evil as Regina is?”

”Something in my soul didn't allow darkness to get in. That's why I'm my mother's opposite”, Aurora answered. ”They say my soul is fulfilled with pure light so I guess that's why.”

”Do you know where the others are, by the way? Especially, where Nora is?” Lucy asked.

”You don't need to look far”, Aurora said and pointed at somewhere behind Lucy.

Lucy turned around just in time to see Natsu running towards her with everyone else – except Nora. However, right at that moment, she just wanted to put her arms around Natsu and kiss the poor guy senseless so she ran into his arms and did that.

”I like this spontaneous Luce”, Natsu whispered. ”Please don't stop being like this.”

”Never”, Lucy whispered and kissed him again.

But her happiness was gone the moment she saw the tears in Sting's eyes. She immediately let go of Natsu and hurried to him.

”Where is she?” she asked him.

”She's dying, Lucy. I don't know what I can do to help her anymore...” Sting whispered. ”She'll be gone in a matter of hours.”

Lucy couldn't believe what she had heard. Nora was dying? Then the realization came to her – she was the price Lucy had to pay to darkness in order to use these powers.

”Please take me to her, Sting”, she said quietly.  
  


_The Real One had given me a mission to gather up all the other pieces of her broken soul. She told me to go to a guild called Sabertooth, and meet with their master Sting Eucliffe. As I arrived to their guild, I was looked at weirdly, and some of them even thought my name was Lucy. Once I told them who I was, and who I needed to meet, I was directed to Sting's office._

” _Who is this? She looks a lot like Lucy Heartfilia”, blonde guy said._

” _She says her name is Nora”, said a guy with dark hair, who had introduced himself as Rogue. ”That's pretty much everything she told me.”_

” _Okay then, Rogue. Leave, and let me try”, Sting said grinning._

_I didn't know what he meant by that but after Rogue left the room, Sting stood up behind his table and he walked over to me._

” _OK, Lucy, cut the act. You're not fooling anyone”, he said. ”You may have used spells to change your appearance but you're still Lucy.”_

” _I'm not”, I said, feeling annoyed._

” _Okay then, who are you, exactly? And why do you look like a sad version of Lucy?”_

” _What does it matter?”_

” _It matters to me. I don't want a Lucy impostor here. It will turn my guild and Fairy Tail into rivals once again and I'm not having it.”_

” _Well, if you really want to know, then I'll tell you. I'm a piece of Lucy Heartfilia's soul that was extracted by the Shamans. It was her own request. I'm on a mission. I need to gather all missing pieces of her soul so it can be put back together”, I answered._

_Also, the more I looked into his eyes, the more I began to wonder why my heart was pounding so fast in my chest. This man was the cause of it. He was so handsome._

” _So Lucy's situation has worsened, huh? It's a shame”, Sting said. ”So, if you do this soul hunt thing, and return to her, she can be saved?”_

” _Yes. Otherwise she will die and everyone will forget her.”_

” _Then we have to help Lucy”, Sting decided. ”Isn't that the reason why you're here, Nora? You're basically here to ask my help.”_

” _Yes, I am.”_

” _Well, why don't you join my guild then, and we'll start working on your mission together?” Sting asked and offered his hand to me. I shook his hand – and when our hands touched, I could feel the electricity between us. I didn't know if it would turn into a problem or not, but I needed his help. No matter what._

_Because if Lucy disappeared from existence, I and the other pieces of her soul would do so as well.  
  
_

When Lucy arrived to the room where Nora was staying, she looked at the girl and saw how pale she was. Her hair was just as black as Aurora's and Regina's, and her eyes were blue. Really blue. She was definitely dying, Lucy could tell that easily.

”Nora, don't leave us yet”, Lucy said as she took her hand into hers.

”Lucy, you made it...” Nora whispered quietly and she looked at Lucy a relieved look in her eyes. ”I was worried that you might have died when we heard that you weren't here.”

”I'm fine, Nora. It's you who isn't.”

”I'm going to die today.”

”You should just rejoin my soul. Because if you go, you'll take me with you, right?” Lucy said. ”Which is why you should rejoin my soul right away.”

”I don't want to go back to that dark corner of your soul... I was so isolated and alone there...” Nora whispered and tears fell on her cheeks.

”I'm sorry to hear that, but you know we will both be gone otherwise”, Lucy said.

”I know that, but can't I still be selfish even for a moment, Lucy? There's too many things I'd like to see and do. There's too much love in my heart for Sting, and now he'll never be able to feel it all...”

”Nora, don't say that”, Sting said from the other side of the bed. He was also holding her hand. ”You've loved me more than any other woman in my life. And even if it pains me, even if I want you to stay, I know perfectly well that our selfishness would kill Lucy. I don't want that, Nora. You need to return to Lucy's soul. It's where you belong. Besides, you'll only feel more pain and suffering if you stay.”

”But Sting...” Nora tried and ended up coughing blood, which both surprised and horrified Lucy.

”It's OK, Nora. I'll be fine. Eventually”, Sting said as he wiped away the blood with a napkin.  
  


_The hunt for the pieces of Real One's soul was a real challenge. Some of them didn't trust me because they sensed darkness inside me. They knew I was the one that had been infested with it, that I should not be trusted. Yet, eventually, they agreed to join me because they knew they shouldn't exist. And some of them were so scared of the outside world that when they saw me, or when I called them, they appeared in front of me immediately and asked me to give them shelter. I agreed. I did this in order to save the Real One's life._

_As more and more missing pieces joined me, I began to turn into a real human being. I became more and more aware of things. I started to feel a lot more different feelings. By the time there were only two other missing pieces left, I was the one who was more of a human than Real One. I was... a creature that was allowed to exist. But since I was basically just another Real One, it was a problem. More and more paradoxes began to appear on the timeline, mostly on the area of Crocus._

_And when those began to appear, I knew the time was near. I didn't have much time left._

_But I didn't want to leave._

_It was because of Sting._

_What we had was unique and I didn't want to lose it like this. I didn't want to break his heart – yet it had to happen eventually._

” _I shouldn't have let this happen”, I said during one evening in his bedroom, where I stayed every night these days. ”Why does this happen every time we spend time together?”_

” _You're still asking these questions? We've done this for months, babe. Just admit it. You're in love with me”, Sting, who laid next to her, said. ”Sometimes I don't understand you at all.”_

” _Neither do I understand your obsession with love”, I told him._

” _I'm not obsessed!”_

” _You are!”_

” _Fine, I'll show you how obsessed with love I am then!” Sting said, and he kissed me again._

_I had no idea how many times he had done this already, but whenever he did, I forgot everything. It was just us in this world, and we needed no one else. And it was enough for us._

_That was until the day came when we were forced to get separated because of fate.  
  
_

It didn't matter how much Lucy and Sting tried, Nora was more eager to stay and die than go back to the place she belonged. There were a lot of reasons why Nora should have rejoined Lucy's soul and finally make it complete but Nora was convinced that she wanted to live instead. Lucy began to feel desperate. She also began to feel the effect of Nora's worsening health, and knew that if they didn't come to a conclusion soon, Lucy would have to go as well. And she definitely wasn't going to leave anywhere yet.

”Nora, you're making this harder for me too”, Lucy said quietly.

”Lucy, you look pale”, Sting said, looking worried. ”Is it because of Nora?”

Lucy nodded. ”If she doesn't join me soon and dies, I'll be gone in a blink of an eye too.”

”Nora, please...” Sting said, turning his attention back to Nora.

”I know, but leaving is so hard...” Nora said. ”It's your fault, Sting.”

”How is it my fault?”

”You made me fall in love with you. That's why I can't leave. I don't want to see you cry.”

”I couldn't help it”, Sting said and laughed sadly. ”You were too irresistible for me to deal with, lover girl.”

”So were you too irresistible for me to deal with, lover boy”, Nora said and smiled.

 _So Sting is the main reason why she wants to stay here until she dies? I better tell her the facts then. Maybe it'll change her mind,_ Lucy thought, even though she felt a little bit bad for doing this but it needed to be done. She had already started to feel weaker – as Nora's life left, so did Lucy's. Nora was like a open wound that wasn't going to heal.

”Nora”, Lucy said. ”You can't stay here. If you do, Sae will probably take care of you.”

”Wait, what are you talking about, Lucy?” Nora asked. ”Sae is a goddess, why would she hurt me? I'm her Warrior!”

”Yes, but you're also made of darkness, remember? I heard from Rogue on my way here that Sae hates darkness and she'd do anything to keep it away because apparently people in the darkness can see through her lies. You and I are both infested with darkness so we're in danger. But you're so weak that I can't take you away from here in any other way but drawing you back into my soul. You must allow me to do this”, Lucy explained.

”Wait, did you just basically say that the Goddess of Time is actually evil?” Sting whispered.

”Yes, Sting”, Lucy whispered. ”Nora?”

Nora's expression had turned from sad one to a thoughtful one. She was quiet for a moment and then said, ”I have changed my mind, Lucy.”

”Just like that?” Lucy asked, feeling surprised.

”Yes”, Nora whispered. ”I have seen that device and what it does”, she added. She then turned her eyes to Sting, who just smiled.

”It's OK, Nora. You better go where you belong. I'm sure I'll find someone else who amazes me like you did”, he said and then he helped Nora to a sitting position. ”I love you, Nora.”

”I love you, Sting”, Nora said and smiled. She then Sting closer to herself to give him the last kiss of goodbye.

Lucy quietly waited for them to say goodbyes to one another and thought she probably should say goodbyes to Natsu in case she had to leave as well. She was sure that it was going to happen sooner or later.

” _I'd prefer sooner rather than later, my little tool of darkness”,_ interrupted a voice in Lucy's mind.

She knew exactly who this woman was. This brought a lot of memories to her mind – which was probably the reason why Regina used 'tool of darkness' reference. She had called Lucy that few times in the past back when Lucy was desperately trying to make Natsu get rid of the effect of Memory Loss Potion.

” _Can't you annoy me more later? I'm busy here”,_ Lucy snapped back at her, but only got her ghostly laugh as a answer.

”Lucy, I'm ready”, Nora said. ”It would be nice to stay and love Sting even harder for the rest of my life but you're right about Sae's hatred towards darkness. Just make sure that you'll run away as soon as possible once we've rejoined, okay?”

”I promise I'll run faster than the wind, Nora”, Lucy said and smiled. She climbed into the bed and put her arms around Nora. ”I'll let you in, the last piece of my soul.”

A bright golden light flashed and Nora turned into small black and white balls that flew right into Lucy's chest. She took them all in, and felt how she began to feel better. And stronger. After all, the last piece of her soul was only made of darkness. And then, a vision came to her. She knew it was a memory. Nora's memory.  
  


_The day when I was meant to rejoin with the Real One came. I headed to the floating fortress that Regina Heartfilia controlled fron within. There, in the depths of the building, I was finally able to find her. The Real One was still alive and breathing but her soul was still broken. We rejoined despite the fact that I didn't really want this._

_I had realized how much I wanted to be with my Sting. It hurt so much._

_But when I was about to join the Real One's soul, someone stopped me from doing so. Instead of rejoining the other pieces, I was pulled away from her. I was transferred somewhere else. When I opened my eyes, I was lying on a beach next to a huge city with a huge clock standing in the middle of it._

_There was also someone there with me. A woman wearing a white dress and a white cloak. I had no idea who she was, but I knew that her name wasn't Lucy._

” _Where am I?” I asked from the woman, who just smiled._

” _You are exactly where you should be”, she just said. ”Now, come with me to Caelum.”_

_I didn't know what Caelum was, but I assumed it was the city nearby. So I stood up from the ground and followed her into the city._

_Once I had rested enough, I was told that I would the guardian of the city. That my job was to become a 'Warrior of the Goddess'. My job would be protect the Goddess at all costs, and keep darkness away from the City of Time._

_I agreed to these terms, and started the job. I began to hunt down the Summoner of Darkness. A powerful wizard who was able to summon creatures from the darkness to aid him to cause chaos. I was meant to defeat this man, but once I first saw him, I couldn't believe what I saw – it was Rogue!_

” _Rogue, what the hell are you doing!? Why are you on the same side with the villains!?” I asked._

” _I do not know who you are, and I simply do not care. Prepare to die”, he just said and summoned one of the Soulless monsters – which I defeated with ease._

_But we became rivals._

_Once I returned to Caelum and told the Goddess that I had failed in my mission, she took me to the forbidden part of the palace._

” _You will, of course, keep on hunting him down, right, Nora?” Sae asked me in a tone that made me shiver. It was colder than before._

” _Yes, of course. I'm not known of giving up”, I just said, but being in her presence made me feel uncomfortable._

” _Good. Once you have caught him, bring him to this room”, Sae explained and opened the door before me. ”And we will use this device on him”, she added as she walked over to the centre of the room. There was a huge pipe looking structure that had human sized capsules attached to the sizes._

” _Oh, what is this, Master?” I asked, my warning alarms ringing loudly inside my mind. Something was terribly wrong with this scenery._

” _This device is known as 'The Purge'. It's been built here for me to be able to extract the darkness from anyone's soul”, Sae explained and smiled. ”I will not allow darkness to be a threat to me ever again, so this room was created.”_

” _Are you going to use this device on me...?”_

” _Only if you fail to complete your mission. If you can't find the Summoner of Darkness, and bring him here, you will find yourself in this device”, Sae said, smiling cruelly at her._

_The Goddess of Time showed me her true colors that day. She wasn't nice at all. She was frightening. So frightening that I decided to do everything I could do get Rogue here. No matter how brutal it sounded._

_Of course, I failed miserably. Once again._

_Yet I was able to spend the rest of my life with the man I truly loved._   
  


”Lucy!”

”Lucy!”

”Why is she still unconcious? Should I slap her with fish?”

”You'll never get a girlfriend with that attitude, Happy.”

”I doubt she'll appreciate if you hit her with a fish”, Natsu's voice said.

Lucy opened her eyes slowly and looked around in the room. She laid on Nora's bed. She must have fallen unconcious because of the vision of Nora's memory.

 _So the device that cleanses people's souls from darkness is located in this palace. Should I tell everyone about it or should I just go and destroy it myself?_ Lucy thought as she sat up on the bed.

”Lucy, you're awake!” Happy said. ”Good, now I don't need to slap you with my fish!”

”Do you even have any fish left?” Lucy asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

”Luce, your hair and eyes have changed color”, Natsu said.

”They have?” Lucy asked and looked at the mirror in the room.

They were right. Her eyes were the same shade of blue as Regina's and her hair was just as black as hers was.

 _Why do I look like a young Regina now?_ She just thought, and also felt worried that something might happen now. If she looked like this and walked around Caelum, everyone in the city would want her dead as soon as possible.

”Sae also paid a visit and had a really weird look on her face when she noticed the change”, Natsu said. ”It was like she looked victorious about something. Kinda like what Regina was like when she got out of your soul, Luce.”

”I'm sure it was nothing”, Lucy said and smiled to him. ”How about we leave now and go save Rogue next?”

”Sae doesn't allow us to leave”, Sting said.

 _Is that so, goddess? Well, I'm gonna show you..._ Lucy thought, a bit worried at how evil and Regina like that thought sounded. Was she really this close to the edge of giving in?

”I think I need a moment alone”, she said. ”My soul haven't been whole for three years now so...”

”It's okay, we understand”, Natsu said and grinned. ”If you need me, I'll be in my room.”

”You got a room here?”

”We all do. Of course, you'd be staying with me. I feel really protective over you, Luce.”

”I find that really adorable about you”, Lucy said and hugged him.

They kissed goodbyes for a while and Natsu left the room with devastated looking Sting and Lector. Lucy felt really sad for them but they all knew that Nora did the right thing by returning to Lucy's soul.

Once the door had closed, Lucy stopped smiling immediately. Instead, she felt furious. And this level of furious she had only felt when Regina had still been trapped inside her soul.

”I should have given in to darkness back then...” Lucy mumbled as she jumped off the bed and began to walk around. ”I would've been able to stop this. I wouldn't even be here!”

” _Don't you like the taste of darkness, Lucy? It makes you powerful”,_ Regina's voice said in her mind. _”Just a little bit more, and you'll slip, and then it's done. You'd be my Warrior of Darkness forever.”_

” _And why would I want to be your Warrior of Darkness forever? Please explain”,_ Lucy asked, still feeling furious – no, she felt more and more furious. She felt angry because Sae tried to lock them up in Caelum. She felt angry that here she wouldn't be able to use her powers at all.

” _The answer for your question is freedom. Think about it, Lucy. If you open the door to the Dimensions Beyond, a everlasting freedom from Sae's control is quaranteed. You know the phony goddess is going to use The Purge on you”,_ Regina explained, and the more she spoke, the more tempting running away sounded like. But Lucy was sure her idea was just as good.

” _Sounds tempting, Regina, but I could go and destroy the device instead. I know where it's located in this palace.”_

” _Well, well, well, I never thought I'd see the day when you'll scheme with me willingly”,_ Regina sounded amused.

” _I'm doing this to protect myself, not because I want to be evil.”_

” _So did I say when I decided to take over Zephyrus. It starts with the smallest things, but then you want more and more. And you want to be freed, don't you?”_

” _Yes_ ”, Lucy admitted and felt tears in her eyes.

She shouldn't be agreeing with Regina, she was the evil sorceress anyway, but she was so right! Lucy wanted to be free. Especially now that her soul was complete, the dark power within her was stronger than ever. Who knows what she might do if she just refused to use it? What if all these powers would explode inside her, and destroy everything in sight? Lucy wouldn't be able to deal with herself if she killed people she loved by accident.

” _You know what you have to do to get free from the chains of fate. Do it. Destroy The Purge”,_ Regina's voice said, and then her presence disappeared.

Lucy looked up from her tear filled hand and smiled.

”I will most certainly do that, Regina. I promise.”

*********

While sitting on a bench in the corridor few meters away from Nora's room, Sting couldn't believe it. Nora was gone again and this time it seemed to be permanent. She wouldn't reappear suddenly and help them with their mission anymore. No, his girlfriend was gone and Sting wasn't sure how to deal with it. Nora had been so good to him – yes, she had had a bit of an feisty attitude and sometimes she was too secretive, but Sting had fallen for her anyway.

And he had fallen hard.

That's why losing Nora hurt so, so much.

When he had seen Nora collapse in the corridors of time, he had had a hunch that their time was up. He didn't want to accept it anyway, he had hoped that there was still a way to save her – especially after Lucy had returned.

But it was too late.

Instead of saving her life, so they could be together, Nora was too weak. And if she had died, Lucy would have died, too. It didn't matter how much Sting had wanted to be with Nora, he couldn't allow himself to be selfish in this case. Natsu would've blamed him for causing Lucy's death. He couldn't demand anything from Lucy either. It was better to save the other one than see them both disappear, right? It felt like the right thing to do despite the fact that it hurt him. That's why he told Nora to rejoin Lucy's soul instead.

But it didn't make dealing with the loss any easier.

Sting missed his beautiful Lovergirl already.

”Maybe they should erase memories of Nora from my mind”, Sting murmured without even realizing it.

”No, Sting-kun”, Lector said quietly.

He and Froche sat on the bench next to him. Both Exceeds were crying just as hard as Sting was.

”I didn't expect this pain to be so... hard to live with, Lector...”

”I don't want to forget Nora”, Lector said. ”I wanna remember her forever, Sting-kun, and everyone at our guild would probably feel the same. Everyone loved her.”

Sting sighed.

Lector was right. Why should he run away from the pain, and try his best to forget her? That would be a weakness. And Sting certainly wasn't a weakling – but the pain would be hard to deal with until it would weaken and eventually disappear.

 _I gotta stay optimistic, I guess,_ he thought as he sighed.

”So... let's grief for my lovergirl but stay optimistic for the future, right?” he mumbled.

”Yep, Sting-kun”, Lector said. ”Let's concentrate on helping Rogue-kun instead because Nora was trying to make him come to his senses, remember?”

Sting nodded. ”Yes, I remember it, Lector.”

”Fro remembers too...” Froche said quietly.

They had been a team – Sting, Rogue, Nora and the Exceeds. They had been working together on Nora's ”Shattered Soul Quest”, as she had called it. Sting had hoped that they could work together once again, but what happened to Nora had changed those hopes. It would be just like the old team with the Twin Dragons and their Exceeds now. Even if losing one of the team members was a sad thought, Sting wasn't going to lose his best friend, too.

”We gotta talk about Rogue with Natsu and others”, Sting said. ”Nora would want us to finish her job, right?”

”Yes, she would”, Lector said.

”Fro thinks so, too!” Froche exclaimed at the same time.

”But are they gonna listen to us?” Lector asked, doubtful look on his face.

”I have a hunch that they will”, Sting answered. ”Nora was very noisy about how she wanted to 'kick some sense into Rogue', remember?”

Lector nodded, but he didn't look very convinced.

”What's she doing?” Froche suddenly asked, as he looked back to the way where Nora's room was.

Sting looked into that direction too, and saw a young dark haired woman there with her head pressed against the door. She had a small victorious smile on her lips. She then took a step away from the door and walked towards Sting and the Exceeds with a satisfied look on her face. It gave Sting shivers because this girl looked almost exactly like her mother Regina.

”You don't need to worry about Rogue”, she said. ”Time has its ways to put people on the paths they're supposed follow.”

”What the hell does that mean?” Sting demanded to know.

Aurora smiled. ”Our path will cross his soon, Sting Eucliffe. But first, something else must take place”, she said mysteriously. ”Let's not interfere. Those who cannot be controlled by _her_ must break the invisible chains that keeps us here.”

”I have no idea what you're talking about, Aura, but sure, I won't interfere with whatever that's gonna happen next”, Sting said.

Aurora just smiled as she went away.

”I'm confused”, Froche mumbled after she had disappeared behind a corner.

”You're not the only one”, Lector said.

”Hmm...” Sting crossed his arms across his chest. ”Something's up.”

”Like what?”

”I don't know but it sounds like it has something to do with Lucy.”

”Maybe we should tell the others?”

”I have a feeling that Natsu would ruin everything if he knew. I hate to say this, but we gotta keep this to ourselves, ok?”

”That's probably the wisest thing to do”, Lector agreed.

Froche just nodded in agreement.

”Let's go grab something to eat now. I'm hungry. A drink would be very nice, too...”

As they walked away, talking about their beloved guild – and Nora, of course – they failed to notice how Goddess Sae appeared from a nearby corridor with a look of suspicion on her face.

 _Hmm, looks like I have a traitor walking in these halls once_ again, she thought. _I must catch them as soon as possible. I cannot let anyone ruin my plans now..._


	31. Unsafe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I'm back with another chapter for this epic story. :) This chapter was weird to write because Nora isn't around anymore and I loved that character so much. But oh well, this chapter isn't bad either because I get to reveal some secrets regarding Sae at last which is always fun as she is not the person she pretends to be. ;)
> 
> Happy reading! ♥

_My friends are still unaware that darkness has taken me,_ Lucy thought, feeling surprised.

She had expected that they would notice, but instead, they were completely oblivious to the fact. Of course, it did make Lucy's job a lot easier if they didn't – and she actually hoped that they would stay in this state until the blonde had succeeded in her plan.

But there was a problem – she didn't know how to get to the throne room of Caelum's palace. She knew that to get to The Purge device, she had to use a door in the throne room, but she had no idea how to get there. And she couldn't even ask because of her changed looks – black hair and sapphire blue eyes – Time Mages classified her as a fallen Seeress. They rather pretended that Lucy didn't exist instead of treating her like a human being.

Lucy hated it.

It made her feel unwanted, unwelcome and uncomfortable. And negative emotions and thoughts only provoked her darkness more. She wasn't sure if she liked it or not. She did hate one thing though; she couldn't use these powers here at all because it would probably alarm Sae immediately and Lucy wasn't going to meet up with her.

_Hmm, Theo seems to be on good terms with the Time Mages. Maybe he can help me?_ Lucy thought as she looked around on a balcony in the main hall's second floor. She looked at Theodore who was chatting with a group of Time Mages – who were women – and they seemed to enjoy their time together a lot. He may not have seen it, but this group of women was obviously interested in something more than just friendship with him.

Lucy decided to interfere. She walked down the stairs nearby and then walked towards them. ”Theo, I need your help.”

Time Mages immediately left the scene, leaving Theodore look confused.

”Why is it that whenever you're nearby, the Time Mages runs away?” he asked her.

”You haven't figured it out yet? It's obviously because of how I look now”, Lucy answered.

Theodore looked at her for a moment and then nodded.

”They think you've fallen into darkness.”

”Yes.”

”Have you?” Theodore asked calmly.

”What makes you think so?” Lucy asked just as calmly.

”I can feel the change in you, Lucy. Something's wrong, and I'm not sure it's a good thing.”

”We can't talk about it here, Theo. Right now what I do need is the location of the throne room.”

”Why do you need that information, Lucy?” Theodore asked, looking a bit suspicious.

”I was just thinking where it might be so I won't just run in and interfere with whatever Sae does there”, Lucy lied and smiled, looking as innocent as she could.

Theodore looked at her in silence for a moment and then said,

”It's over that way. If you go through that door, you'll find yourself in another hall like this one and through the door on the opposite side of that you'll find Sae's throne room”, he spoke as he pointed at a white door with golden decorations on it. It was located on the other side of the main hall, and had two guards guarding it.

_I guess I have to wait until nightfall then,_ Lucy thought.

”Lucy, what are you up to?” Theodore asked in a worried tone.

”I can't tell you. You would try to stop me”, Lucy said, turned around and walked away.

_I'm sorry to involve you into this mess, Theo, but this has to be done,_ she thought as she walked.

**********

But what she didn't know was that Theodore was still suspicious – maybe even more suspicious than Lucy wanted him to be. He knew that the young woman was up to something. She had been seen walking around the palace as if she had been looking for something. And whenever someone asked her about it, she would close up immediately and refuse to say anything. Theodore knew these signs all too well. He had lived through these type of moments many, many times before during his marriage with Regina. Every time the darkness started to take over her, she had closed herself up so he wouldn't be able to see what was happening.

Theodore was no fool.

He was almost hundred percent sure that Lucy was doing something for Regina. He knew his wife well enough to know how smart and cunning she could be. If Lucy was her ally, then the plan would probably be devastating for everyone. Lucy was a Seeress after all. She could open time gates, and Regina could possibly let the Soulless Army free that way. It was a very dangerous combination indeed.

_What have you done to Lucy, my beloved? Why use her?_ He thought and sighed as he watched how Lucy disappeared into the corridor that connected the hall to the guest rooms.

_Maybe I should try to talk her out of it?_ Theodore wondered. _Of course, if she really is on Regina's side, it will be dangerous. Maybe asking Natsu to talk her out of it would be better idea. Natsu's presence might make the darkness go weaker._

” _Don't bother, my beloved, she cannot be saved by love”,_ said Regina's voice in his head. _”This has to be done, and I can't do it myself.”_

” _Regina, what have you done to her, and can it be fixed?”_

” _It will be fixed only when we are allowed to be healed. Until then, don't try to stop us”,_ Regina said. Then her presence in his mind disappeared.

Theodore sighed again.

He had just gotten his answer to his suspicions – Lucy was definitely fallen, and she was working with Regina on who knows what. He just wished he knew what it was, then he would feel more... safe? After all, he had seen Regina using her Soulless Army mercilessly and even just a thought of seeing it again frightened him. Regina was terrifying when she was furious. Merciless and terrifying. That's why the whole Fiore had been so scared of her. Was she planning to attack Caelum or something?

”Don't interfere, father”, Aurora's voice said. ”What Lucy and mother are trying to do would only have a positive effect on our fate.”

”What do you mean, Aura?”

Aurora smiled. ”If they succeed with this plan, it will give us a advantage against the real enemy.”

_Aura is completely aware of what's actually going on..._ Theodore thought and smiled. ”Are we in trouble?”

”Only if you decide to interfere Lucy.”

**********

As the night fell, and Caelum finally fell asleep, Lucy snuck out of her room – which she shared with Natsu and Happy – and began to walk through the corridor. It was quiet and peaceful. But Lucy couldn't let her guard down because then she would get in trouble. And that was what she was trying to avoid as best as she could. She wouldn't mind if she got into trouble with Sae after she had destroyed The Purge but if it happened before that, she would fail. Sae would probably turn her into a mindless puppet with that device.

Lucy reached the main hall. She hid behind a big vase of flowers to look at the door that led to the throne room, and noticed that the guards were gone. She looked around to make sure that nobody was watching her and proceeded to run to the other side of the room as quietly as she could just in case. As she reached the wooden door, she pushed it open, and snuck in. She quietly closed the door – it didn't let out any type of a sound.

Lucy looked around in the room, and was glad that she recognized it. It was the throne room. It was white, and there was basically nothing else but the white throne on the other side of the room with two doors on the both sides of it. Behind the throne there stood a statue of Sae. Lucy felt annoyed beyond belief as she looked at it. She couldn't believe that this goddess had played her all along. She was pretty sure that everything Lucy and others had done, where actually done to make Sae's evil plans real. And she didn't even know what Sae wanted, but she had a hunch, that everything she had done so far was a part of goddess' own plan. It was pretty obvious that it was true.

Lucy proceeded on her mission and ran quietly to the other side of the room, and stopped right in front of the left side door. She put her hand on the wall next to it, and began to search for a mechanism which would open the locked door. When she finally found it, she pushed the button, and the door slid open. Lucy snuck in as fast as she could, and the door closed behind her.

Lucy sighed. ”I think the worst part is over now”, she said aloud. ”Now I just need to find the device, destroy it and run away.”

She proceeded to carry on with her mission and walked forward in the _very_ old, ancient looking corridor. It was full of dust, dirt, spider webs and things that were destroyed. She saw old, rusty equipment everywhere. There were different old packages, wooden boxes and even paintings on the floor. Lucy kept walking although she was curious to know what these things were from. She did have a hunch that these things were connected to Time Mages' past, but she couldn't be sure.

After walking through the corridor, Lucy found herself in a ancient looking hall. It was darkened, and most of it was destroyed, but because of the moonlight, she was definitely able to see where to go. And as she walked through the hall towards the white door on the other side, she was pretty convinced that she was actually walking in a ancient temple where Time Mages had once prayed for Sae's blessing.

Once Lucy got to the other side of the hall, the white door opened as she got closer. Lucy didn't really mind it. She knew she didn't have time to get stuck. She found herself in another long corridor. She could easily another door at the end, and she proceeded to walk towards it. Corridor was also very ancient looking, dusty, dirty and full of spider webs. There was also more different kind of boxes and equipment laying on the floor. Everything was covered up in dust and dirt.

When she eventually reached the other end of the corridor, the door slid open as she came close enough. Lucy walked into the dome shaped room, and looked around. She couldn't move. What she saw was absolutely horrific – there were capsules where humans were laying in. They all had their eyes closed, and it looked like they had been there for a very long time. Lucy felt chills going down her spine as she walked around and tried to find The Purge.

One particular capsule caught Lucy's attention. She found it being attached to a pillar in the middle of the room. It was the only capsule that had a inhabitant in it. Woman had long wavy blonde hair. She was wearing a red dress. She was the only one whose eyes were constantly open, and she looked like she hadn't been able to close them for a long time. Her face had traces of bloody tears on them. The name plate on the capsule said, ”Seeress Serena”. Lucy had a sudden urge to let this woman free from her prison.

” _No, Lucy, the time isn't right yet”,_ interrupted a male voice in her head gently. _”Concentrate on your mission.”_

” _Who are you?”_ Lucy asked.

” _You will find out soon enough. Now, continue your mission. You're almost there”,_ voice said and then disappeared as Lucy decided to leave the capsule alone.

Maybe it was better that way.

Lucy continued to look around in the room, and eventually she found a new door as well. She hurried towards it, and it opened for her immediately. She stepped into the new room and looked around. It was the place which she had seen in Nora's memory. The Purge stood in the middle of the dome shaped room. There were tables on the both sides of the room, and those had a lot of equipment on them. Lucy didn't care about those tables. The only thing on her mind was to get rid of this stupid device that had turned people into Sae's puppets.

”It's time to destroy this thing”, Lucy said and summoned a Dark Javelin.

She was just about to take the first swing onto the device but alarms went off.

”What!?” Lucy yelled as a group of Warriors appeared from the golden smoke and surrounded her.

”You are in a forbidden zone, fallen Seeress. You are hereby arrested”, one of the Warriors said.

”I'm not the villain here!” Lucy desperately tried.

”Do you honestly think these people will believe anything you say?” said another voice, and then Sae herself appeared from a swirl of golden smoke.

”What do you mean? What have you done to them!?”

”Every Warrior of Time has been cleansed from all possible threats of darkness”, Sae explained and smiled. ”It's the only way to keep these people pure.”

”So you've put every last one of these people on that device and forced them to suffer!? You're a fraud, Sae!”

”My, my, aren't you a little bit annoyed today.”

”I am! I've been betrayed by you!”

Sae smiled. ”It was pretty easy to manipulate you into helping me. With you meddling with the events of time, I made sure that the timeline cannot fix itself like it tried to do.”

”No...” Lucy said, feeling tears in her eyes. They had been doing wrong the whole time? Time would have eventually fixed itself?

”Oh, yes. You did a lot of harm on Time and caused it to fall into chaos. If you had refused early enough, you would have been able to stop it from happening. Now, when your timeline has collapsed, I can rebuild it to illuminate the world that it should be under my control”, Sae said and the smile on her face became more and more evil.

”You're insane!” Lucy said, although she was feeling terrified.

This goddess was pure evil. How could she pretend to be so nice to everybody and then betray all of them?

”Oh, by the way, did you enjoy seeing your ancestor, Seeress Serena, in a timeless slumber capsule? Would you like to join her, hm?” Sae said, and smiled evilly. ”No, it's better if we just execute you in public. Guards?”

At once, Lucy felt how someone hitting her right behind her ear, and she lost her consciousness.

**********

When Natsu Dragneel woke up the next morning, he realized immediately that Lucy wasn't next to him like she had been when he fell asleep. At first, he didn't think it was something unusual. Lucy did often wake up before he did, and then tried to be as quiet as possible. But no matter how much Natsu tried to listen, he couldn't locate Lucy anywhere in the room or in the bathroom. And her scent... it was like she hasn't even been in the room this morning. That was when Natsu's suspicions began to take place in his heart.

Something was wrong.

Even the palace felt different. He felt a strange urge to run away, but he wouldn't do that. Not without finding Lucy first.

There was a knock on the door, and then Erza and others came in once Natsu gave them a permission to do so. They all had serious looks on their faces.

”What's up?” Natsu asked. ”Why are you all so serious?”

”You didn't hear the announcement, Natsu?” Gray asked. ”We're told to go outside on the yard to hear a announcement from Sae. We all think it's related to Lucy. Nobody has seen her anywhere since yesterday.”

”Yeah, and even then she was barely in our company”, Lector said. ”So we believe something has happened to her.”

”I don't want to think that Luce's in trouble. It infuriates me”, Natsu interrupted. ”If they hurt her, they will face consequences.”

”Let's go outside to see what this will be about”, Erza said. ”I'm sure we'll be able to find answers regarding Lucy, too.”

They nodded as a agreement and headed out of the room to the corridor. Natsu noticed that there were guards everywhere in the corridor and they were looking at him and others suspiciously as they passed them. Natsu also noticed that Theodore and Aurora both looked very alarmed and couldn't help but wonder why. Did they know something that the others didn't? Could it be possible, that they knew what had happened to Lucy? Natsu wanted the answers but once he tried to open his mouth to ask about it, Theodore shot him a warning look. Natsu immediately knew that the answer to all these questions was a simple 'yes'.

Once the group had gathered outside few minutes later, Natsu noticed that the area was heavily guarded. That meant the possible escape would be challenging. Also, getting to Lucy would be challenging but Natsu would do anything for that girl. Yes, he was more than sure that Lucy was held captive by these people. They didn't seem to appreciate a Seeress with dark powers much.

”Good morning”, Sae's voice rang through the yard.

She was standing on a balcony that was located right on top of the front doors. She looked very sad. ”I've discovered a threat within the walls of this city. I am truly sorry for my inability to keep everyone safe”, she continued.

_What is she talking about?_ Natsu thought and glanced at Theodore, whose look was very suspicious. Natsu had never seen him with a look like that on his face.

”The threat is one of us”, Sae continued. ”A descenant of the great Seeress Serena.”

As she spoke, two guards – who were wearing similar clothes that Nora had used – walked to the balcony and between them was a dark haired, blue eyed girl, who's hands were chained together.

And the look on her face was defeated.

Natsu could also sense fear.

And what terrified him the most was that he knew exactly who that girl was.

”Seeress Lucy Heartfilia has betrayed us, everyone. Darkness is her weakness as well, just like it is with everyone in this particular family line”, Sae said, her voice venomous. ”I caught her just in time in the forbidden sacred areas of the palace.”

Natsu couldn't believe it.

”Because she is a Seeress who went against her goddess, the punishment would be a death sentence. A public execution”, Sae continued, and smiled as the Time Mages cheered.

Natsu and others just looked around in shock. Time Mages were just going to let their goddess to execute someone without a proper trial? That wasn't justice at all. It was something that only dictators would do! Was Lucy really this big of a threat that she wouldn't be allowed to tell her version of the events? And most of all, what was she even doing in such a forbidden place anyway? Natsu couldn't understand. He needed Lucy to give the answers to him.

”The execution will happen in the evening at the central park”, Sae said.

Then, suddenly, two Dark Javelins appeared out of nowhere and went through the bodies of the guards that had been guarding Lucy. Natsu could easily see the darkness rising from her body. Then she threw the handcuff chains away and before anyone on the balcony could react, Lucy disappeared into a swirl of black smoke and teleported herself to the yard. Time Mages immediately began to back off and the guards began to approach her.

”You escaping this city is very interesting to see”, Sae said from the balcony. ”But it would be easier for everyone if you just let go and die. If you're thinking that you can defeat me just like that, you can't do it alone. These people aren't going to help you. To them, you're a traitor.”

”In that case I will find someone who will!” Lucy said and then she rose her hand into the air and said, ”Open! I shall allow you to enter Caelum, the Queen of Darkness!”

The sky above opened, and swarm of the Soulless Army flew into the city. Time Mages panicked and ran everywhere to get into safety but as usual, they could not escape the horrendous fate that the Army represented.

”We gotta get out of here!” Natsu yelled. ”Lucy, what the hell are you doing!?”

”Destroying this place so that phony goddess cannot rebuild our timeline to meet her own expectations!” Lucy yelled furiously. ”You're not going to stop me!”

”Lucy, you shouldn't let the darkness control you like this! Remember what happened to Lisanna!”

”But I'm not a weak minded idiot like she was”, Lucy coldly said. ”Don't _ever_ compare me to her or you will suffer”, she added as a swirl of dark smoke appeared by her side. As the smoke disappeared, it revealed a very amused looking Regina Heartfilia.

”See, Dragneel, I always told you that darkness will eventually win in her soul. The moment Nora's piece returned to her, darkness took over. Lucy is my Warrior of Darkness now”, she said and then turned her attention to the goddess who still stood on the balcony.

Sae was furious.

”By the look on your face, Sae, you didn't expect to see me ever again”, Regina said, smiling. ”Remember the time when you tried to use The Purge on me? That didn't work and you're not going to use it on Lucy either. Have fun watching how my Army takes out every last one of your disgusting, blind, soulless followers, phony goddess”, she added venomously.

Then a swirl of dark smoke covered both her and Lucy and they disappeared.

Sae was furious as she looked at Natsu and others. ”Guards! Arrest these people and bring them to the The Purge Room! I'm not letting anyone to ruin my plans to create a perfect world!” she yelled, pointing at the group before she began to use her own powers to shove the Soulless Army back into the hole in the sky.

”Natsu, we can't stay here!” Theodore said as he threw a tornado towards the Soulless.

”But where can we go to get away from this madness?” Gray asked.

”I know a place. Follow me”, Aurora calmly said. ”There's a place in the forbidden area of the palace that we can use. It's called 'Time Chamber'. It's a ancient doorway that Seers and Seeresses used to travel through time. It will transfer us to somewhere on our timeline and Sae can't see where we went.”

”She won't be able to see us? What does that mean?” Sting curiously asked while he killed three Soulless that were trying to get to him.

”The goddess who marked me wasn't Sae. That's why”, Aurora said as she began to run towards the front door of the palace. ”Come on, everybody. She's waiting for us!”

”Let's follow Aura”, Theodore said as he ran past Natsu and opened the door. ”We'll die here if we stay. Regina's Army has been ordered to show no mercy on these people and they will attack us as well.”

”Fine then”, Natsu said and sighed. ”I wanna go find Luce and figure out if I can somehow get my girlfriend back...”

After destroying countless Soulless, Natsu and others were finally able to get into the palace and they closed the doors behind them so that no more Soulless could get in. Closing the doors didn't stop the screams of horror outside, and no matter how much Natsu would have wanted to stay and help, he knew this was the only chance to sneak out without getting caught. That's why he kept running inside the palace, and followed Aurora who was hurrying towards the throne room.

”Why are we going to the throne room?” Gray asked.

”Because the door to the forbidden areas is located there”, Aurora explained as she opened the doors. ”Lucy also went this way earlier. I saw it in a vision. It was meant to happen. Otherwise we would have been turned into mindless puppets by Sae.”

”So Lucy falling into darkness is only a good thing because we can now escape?” Erza asked, even though Natsu could hear clearly that she did not like the idea at all.

”That is the sad truth, Erza”, Aurora said. ”But you shouldn't worry. Even if you're separated from one another for a while, eventually you'll be together again.”

”I guess so then”, Natsu murmured, feeling sad that Lucy had to do this to help others to get out of Caelum. He had hoped that after being separated for three long years they'd be able to spend the rest of their lives together. But someone was obviously playing tricks on him because it probably wasn't going to happen.

In the throne room Aurora headed towards the door on the right side of the throne. She put her hand on the wall and pushed it a little bit. Something clicked and then she opened the door and went in. The corridor that appeared before them looked ancient. It was dimly lit, dusty, dirty and had a lot of stuff laying on the floor.

Still, Natsu and others went into the corridor and the door closed behind them. As they walked on in the corridor, they saw a lot of old paintings on the walls that represented events from the prime of the Time Mages. Natsu especially got interested in one painting that had a very familiar looking woman on it. She was a blonde, and her eyes were chocolate brown. She was wearing a long white dress. Name plate under the painting said, 'Seeress Serena'. Next to that painting was another, but this painting was ripped and had the word 'traitor', painted all over the remaining painting. Name plate under the painting said, 'Seer Nox'.

”I'm starting to get really curious about the history of this race”, Sting said as he looked at the same paintings as they walked on. ”Look, there are two more paintings – of Seer Terra and Seeress Aqua. Wow, their styles are wild as hell.”

Natsu found himself agreeing with him – Terra and Aqua were both dark skinned, and their dressing styles were more revealing than with Serena and Nox, who were a lot more classy. Terra's hair was brown with green stripes on it, and it looked like a messy bush. Aqua had long, wavy hair but she had a seashell bandana on her head, and her hair had stripes of different shades of blue on it.

”I think they were siblings”, Gray said. ”They share a lot of similarities.”

”Hey, what are you doing?” Theodore asked.

He was standing few meters away next to a open door that led them to a huge dome shaped hall.

”We were just looking at these paintings”, Natsu said.

”Well, you need to stop doing so and come here. We aren't that far from safety but we will get caught sooner or later if art is more interesting than escaping.”

”Fine, dude. No need to get pissed”, Sting said.

”Also, if you really want to know more about what happened, you could ask about it from my goddess”, said Aurora's voice from the hall.

”Nah, it's cool. Let's just get the hell out of here and have a proper talk about this later”, Natsu rejected the idea.

”Good decision. Now, let's move”, Aurora said as the boys reached the rest of the group.

Theodore closed the door behind them. The hall also looked ancient, but for some reason it wasn't dusty or dirty at all. Did Sae keep this place clean but didn't bother with the corridor?

_What a weird woman,_ Natsu thought as the group continued to follow Aurora's – Natsu noticed she was carrying Froche – lead.

Aurora led them to a yet another ancient looking door which let them enter to another dusty corridor. They kept walking and walking through the maze made of corridors and soon Natsu was completely unable to tell where they were going or where they had come from. To him it felt like he was walking in circles. During the long walk Natsu couldn't help but wonder when he would be able to see Lucy again. He already missed her. Everything about her. Natsu was starting to feel scared of what if they were able to go home and Lucy would just get lost in time for all eternity. Natsu didn't want that to happen. The whole point of this journey had been a search for Lucy and get her back home. If he lost her, he wouldn't know what to do or what to say to other members at the guild who were waiting.

_I never would have believed I end up getting involved in a mess like this one,_ Natsu thought as the group reached another new door. This door was different than the others, so Natsu began to hope it would be their destination.

And it was.

Once Aurora opened the wooden door, they could all see the portal standing there in the dome shaped room alone. It was a dark blue colored arch which had a huge white door in the middle of it. Next to the arch there was a woman standing.

”Welcome to the Chamber of Time. Aurora, you've done well”, woman said gently.

”Thank you, Sapientia”, Aurora said and smiled broadly.

_How can someone like Regina have a daughter like this?_ Natsu found himself wondering.

Aurora was like Regina's exact opposite in every way.

”I understand you all must be very suspicious after being betrayed by phony goddess Sae”, Sapientia continued. ”But please, I can assure you that I am not here to cause you any harm. I came here to help.”

”You can trust her”, Aurora told the others. ”She's one of the kindest gods of time.”

”How many gods does controlling time need?” Gray asked curiously. ”I honestly thought Sae was the only one.”

”That is a discussion we can have later, Gray Fullbuster”, Sapientia said and smiled.

”I'd like to talk about it now but since we're in a situation like this, it's better if we save it for later”, Theodore said.

”Theodore, how can you trust this woman so easily?” Happy asked.

”Because this woman doesn't feel like a threat unlike Sae did ever since I met her”, Theodore answered. Then he smiled. ”Please open the portal, Sapientia.”

Sapientia nodded and then touched the portal. It opened immediately and there was nothing but a wall of pure gold light behind it.

”You just have to walk through this portal, and you will find yourself from the year 1450X. Aurora can guide your way to Regina Heartfilia's palace from then on.”

”So we're going to stop Regina's plans now?” Theodore asked.

”Regina's palace is the only place where you can save yourselves from the doom. There is a doorway to the Dimensions Beyond there. If you succeed in getting there early enough, walk through that portal to safety.”

”I can see it now”, Theodore said, his eyes full of understanding. ”Regina is using Lucy to get the portal opened so she could escape the upcoming destruction, isn't she?”

”Yes, that is correct. Her fear and hatred towards Sae is understandable”, Sapientia said in a sad voice. ”She doesn't want to end up like the other Time Mages who are now puppets with no free will or thoughts. Regina saw this a long, long time ago.”

”What does that mean?” Natsu asked.

”She was once kidnapped by the Warriors and brought to Sae, who tried to use The Purge on her. But she saved herself before anything happened and she sworn she will never be loyal to Sae again. But Sae wants to enslave her because of her powers, and because she's controlling the great Soulless. If Regina is enslaved, we'd be doomed. That's why she must be saved at all costs.”

”I knew we were involved in something a lot bigger”, Erza sighed. ”I also knew that we shouldn't be involved in this but here we are.”

Sapientia smiled. ”We want you to help us. We cannot meddle in these things because it would cause a war between gods and none of us wants that to happen ever again. If you help us, we have a higher possibility to succeed in stopping Sae before it's too late.”

”Then we will help you”, Natsu said. ”If I can save Luce while I help you, then so be it.”

”I am truly grateful”, Sapientia smiled. ”Now, I suggest you walk through the portal and continue your journey. Aurora will be your guide. Good luck.”

Everyone nodded as a answer and then, one by one, they walked through the portal.

Then, the portal closed.

Sapientia smiled – maybe, just maybe, things were finally taking a turn for the better...


	32. In Memoriam

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I'm back with 2 new chapters for this story. Yes, I'm posting two this time to celebrate Christmas a little bit early as I'm not going to be able to update the story next week because of the said annual event that I like to celebrate. :D I will be posting the next chapter after that. 
> 
> Today's first chapter was completely rewritten in late 2018 after my 2 year long break from posting/writing anything for this story so characters may sound a little bit odd, and I'm sorry about that. However, I enjoy you enjoy the chapter nevertheless. :)
> 
> Happy reading! ♥

_North Fiore  
_ _Year: 1450X  
_

”Hmm, they surely caused a lot of chaos here”, Rogue wondered aloud as he walked around in the almost forgotten floating city of Crocus. It had laid here in this state for 150 years, and the rest of the people were just fighting against one another in the South Fiore because they thought the fall of the city was Regina's fault.

”I guess that was Lisanna's disgusting plan after all – set Regina up for something she would never do... Kinda sad that I couldn't slice her in two pieces like I had planned though”, Rogue mumbled on as he reached the central park. Yes, he did have a perfect plan with what would have made Lisanna suffer even more than she did when Regina ripped her soul out of her body.

But what's done is done.

Rogue couldn't go back in time anymore. All those passageways had been closed.

A sudden, sharp pain went through his head and threw him on his knees onto the ground. He couldn't believe these headaches still surprised him from time to time. They had began right after the Shadow Giant had been defeated, and once the Shadow Guardian had been defeated, headaches had gotten worse. He didn't know why this happened.

”This pain is abnormal...” Rogue murmured but even just thinking about it more made his head hurt even more. Even moving made it hurt more. This was definitely a sign that something wasn't exactly as it should be.

Especially when every time he closed his eyes, he saw vague pictures flashing before his eyes of events that he had never experienced before... And yet, they seemed familiar – but why...?

*********

As Natsu and others came through the time gate, they found themselves standing in a grassy area at a time of an sunset. He soon had to cover his eyes from the vicious wind that was making the sand and grass fly everywhere.

”What's this place?” Sting asked loudly as he held Froche and Lector close to his chest so they wouldn't fly away in the wind.

”Whatever this place is, it doesn't look like a desert since there's grass here”, Gray said.

”Let's explore the area later. We gotta find shelter from this storm first”, Erza told them.

”I can see a shadow of something in the sand over there. Let's check it out”, Theodore said and pointed somewhere while he tried to protect Aurora from the wind with his jacket.

Natsu looked into the direction he was pointing at and saw that he was right – there was something there. A mountain with a cave in it, maybe?

”Let's check it out”, Natsu told everyone who nodded in agreement. ”I hope there's a cave or something there”, he added as he held Happy tightly against his chest.

He didn't want to lose him like he had lost Lucy – or that's what it felt like – Natsu missed her so much already even though they hadn't been separated for that long. Not like the time period of three years but it still felt painful to be separated from Lucy. Were they cursed or something? Every time they got really close, something brought them apart from each other again, it was annoying as hell. Natsu missed their old timeline. The adventures, Lucy's smile, wild parties, everything – he wanted to go back home already.

He sighed. ”I wanna go back home.”

”You're not the only one”, Sting agreed while others murmured something in agreement.

They fell silent, and Natsu was alone with his thoughts once more. He couldn't help but feel like he was going through a deja vu. Even though he couldn't see anything in the vicious storm, he had a feeling that he had walked on this grassland before – back when he had been looking for Lucy everywhere for three long years. And just like then, he was sure he'd find Lucy again eventually. He wouldn't give up until that happened.

”Natsu, stop!” Theodore said sharply.

Natsu turned around and noticed the rest of his group had stopped walking and hidden behind a big stone nearby. ”Why?” he asked as he walked over to them.

”That shadow I mentioned earlier doesn't look like a mountain at all”, Theodore explained. ”Look, it's a wooden wall”, he added and pointed at it.

Natsu looked towards that same direction and noticed that he was right – the thing they had been walking towards wasn't a mountain like they had hoped. It was a tall wooden wall that had spikes on it. As Natsu looked at it, he noticed that there was also a huge door there, but it was shut tightly.

”Yeah, and there's a door too”, Natsu agreed. ”It's tightly shut though.”

”Maybe there are people there”, Erza wondered.

”Can you smell anything?” Gray asked from the Dragon Slayers, who shook their heads.

”The wind's too strong to smell anything”, Natsu told him.

”I don't know if it's wise to go in”, Theodore said, looking thoughtful. ”We can't tell if the people are aggressive or not.”

”We can't climb it either”, Natsu said looking at the wall. ”And flying is out of the question because of the wind. It's getting stronger now so we gotta find shelter and fast.”

”Let's find a way to sneak in then”, Gray suggested. ”I bet there's a way somewhere.”

Everyone nodded in agreement, and they walked to the wall together, and began looking for a way in because they didn't want to use the front door. Theodore was right about his worries – a wall like this would only mean that the residents behind it would also defend it fiercely. Natsu, however, hoped that the people on the other side would be nice rather than aggressive because, surprisingly, he wasn't really in the mood to fight with anyone right now.

He was hungry as hell – had he even had time to eat anything in Caelum? He had no memory of doing so because things had happened. Why had he even brought Lisanna up and compared Lucy to her? He had known how strong the hatred Lucy felt for Lisanna had been and he still went and said a stupid thing like that. Lucy would never go insane even if she possessed powers of darkness, right? She was stronger than that.

_I'm sorry, Luce, please forgive me..._ he thought. _I didn't mean to hurt your feelings like that._

”Natsu, watch out!” Sting yelled suddenly.

Natsu felt how he lunged at him and they fell to the ground as a dagger flew right past the spot where his head had just been. He and Sting tried to get back to their feet but they were surrounded by masked men who were holding their weapons directed at them.

”Don't move, intruders!” one of them yelled. ”Arrest them, and make sure they can't use magic!”

”Yes, sir!” said another one.

A small group of people emerged from the group of soldiers, and they proceeded to tie Natsu's and others' wrists together with a Magic Binding Rope. Soldiers also picked up the Exceeds and put them into a clothing bag. Happy and Lector tried to fight back but couldn't win, and Froche was frozen from fear.

”You can't do that!” Sting said, and tried to get the bag from the soldiers, who tazed him unconcious immediately.

”I think all this is completely unnecessary”, Aurora said calmly to the man who seemed to be the leader of the group. ”I'm sure we can solve all this by talk –”

”No, young lady”, leader interrupted. ”I'm afraid that isn't an option. We cannot be sure if you're Fioreans or not, so until then, you will remain arrested. Is that clear?”

”Yes, sir”, Aurora sighed, looking disappointed.

”Let's go!” leader ordered. ”We gotta get inside before the storm gets too strong!”

”Yes, sir!” soldiers said as the front gate few meters away opened.

_Oh, that means they probably saw us from somewhere and refused to open the gate for us. I bet they informed the leader about us, too,_ Natsu thought as masked men helped him to get back on his feet – and the other two picked Sting up from the ground and carried him – and the group guided them towards the front gate.

As they got in, Natsu looked around the place. It looked like ruins of an old city. Only the houses in the centre plaza had been rebuilt and had people living in them. He also noticed that behind the houses there was another wooden wall with a locked up gate with two guards standing on both sides of it, and behind that gate there was a familiar looking palace building. He furrowed his eyebrows and looked around again – had he been here at some point? The whole place had a familiar vibe in it. Especially the fountain in the middle of the plaza. The last time he had seen it, there had been water in the fountain but he still recognized it.

”Wait, is this Zephyrus?” he mumbled.

Tears in Aurora's – who walked next to him – eyes were enough to convince him that he was right.

They were taken to a empty house nearby the second wall. Reanians untied the rope around their wrists, and told them not to cause any trouble and then left the house, locking it up from the outside.

”So... what now?” Gray asked.

”We'll wait and see what happens next”, Theodore said as he sat down on a chair by the table nearby.

Aurora followed his example while drying her tears.

”Yeah, that's pretty much all we can do at the moment”, Erza agreed with him, also sitting down.

”Yeah, I wouldn't want to get tazed like our buddy Sting here”, Natsu said, pointing at the blonde who was still unconcious. The Exceeds – who had gotten out of the bag – were trying to wake him up.

Natsu's stomach growled loudly. He looked around in the house, hoping that there was food left there somewhere but judging by all the dust and dirt everywhere it was impossible. The only thing that the noticed was that this place had once been a restaurant and a bar, but it had since been abandoned as time passed.

”Ah, I see”, Gray murmured nearby, and picked something up from the floor. ”This magazine is called 'Zephyrus News', and it's dated back to 1100X.”

”Is there anything interesting there?” Theodore asked as Aurora began to look at the papers on the floor as well.

”This article only says that the Sky City Hargeon launch was a success, and that the launch for Magnolia, Crocus and Zephyrus sky cities will take place in six weeks.”

”Anything more recent?”

”No, these are all dated back to 1100X and earlier.”

”Aaaws, look, father”, Aurora suddenly said while picking something up from the floor. She wiped it clean and gave it to Theodore, who looked at it curiously for a moment and smiled.

”'A Wedding Anniversary Menu', huh? I completely forgot how Zephyrus had huge celebrations on our wedding anniversary every year”, he said and smiled.

”I don't remember any of those celebrations”, Aurora sighed. ”I was too young.”

”They didn't seem to recognize you, Theodore”, Natsu pointed out. ”I mean when we got arrested. They just treated you like a prisoner.”

”Yeah, I noticed. That's why I want to wait and see what happens”, Theodore told him.

”I shall provide you answers then”, said a voice from the door.

Natsu turned to look and saw a dark haired, blue eyed woman standing there with a huge stew bowl in her hands. She had two other women following her. They were carrying boxes with plates, forks and glasses in them.

”Who are you?” Theodore asked from the woman carrying the stew as the two women cleaned up the table Theodore had been sitting at with magic and set the table up for dinner.

”My name is Skye, Your Majesty. I'm very sorry that the leader and his soldiers didn't recognize you. Please accept this food as a apology”, Skye said.

”Your apology is accepted”, Theodore said smiling.

”I'm glad to hear that. Please sit down, everyone. You're probably hungry. I will go inform the leader that you've accepted our apology, Your Majesty”, Skye said and left the house with the two women.

”Did someone bring here food?” Sting asked from the floor. He stood up. ”That bastard who used electricity on me will get his ass kicked...” he added as he sat down at the table.

”I'd suggest that you just let it go, Sting”, Theodore said. ”I need to talk to the leader and if you start fighting with people, it might get too hard.”

”Fine, Theo, let me eat now”, blonde answered as he began to shove food into his mouth.

Everyone followed his example – they were all really hungry after all.

*********

Once they had eaten, Skye returned with a gray haired, green eyed man following her. Natsu assumed that he was the current leader of Zephyrus because he had that kind of aura around him. He was wearing brown clothes just like everyone else in the town were, but he also had a black cloak attached to his shirt's shoulders. He also had a sword on his belt.

”This is our leader Klaus”, Skye introduced him. ”Dad, this is Emperor Theodore and his companions.”

”Your Majesty”, Klaus said and bowed to Theodore, who nodded.

”Dad wanted to meet you face to face as he felt that it'd be more appropriate than using me as the messenger”, Skye said smiling.

”This is only a good thing”, Theodore said. ”I was going to ask you if you could take me to your leader anyway.”

”Yes, I had a feeling that you might do so”, Klaus agreed.

”Sit down, Klaus, and let's discuss. Skye, you can join us if you like.”

”No, Your Majesty, I have to return to the palace. I have to prepare the rooms you and your companions will stay for the night”, Skye said smiling. ”We can't allow our emperor to sleep in this dusty old restaurant, can we?” she added as she snapped her fingers and all the dirty dishes disappeared from the table.

Then she walked out of the house.

”What do you want to know, Your Majesty?” Klaus asked.

”Well, first of all, what year are we currently in?”

”1450X.”

”Thank you. And now, I want you to tell me what has happened after Sky City Crocus fell from the sky.”

”Well, to put it shortly, Fiore started a war. They were convinced that we had planned the destruction because the Soulless Army was involved in it. We tried to tell them that Reana had nothing to do with it, and that it was the traitor who stole the Army from our empress but they didn't listen. They've been trying to kill every last Reanian ever since but we aren't giving up. We divided and the soldiers went to fight with Fioreans and all of us civilians came back here because Zephyrus will always be our home, and we must protect it at all costs”, Klaus explained. ”We provide food supplies for the army that's fighting in the South Fiore as we speak. Fiore is going to lose this war, Your Majesty”, he added, looking very proud.

”What is Reana going to do if you win the war?” Theodore asked, trying hard to hide his pride.

”We aren't sure yet, but we will probably help them to rebuild”, Klaus said.

”Helping them is the best way to show them what Reanians truly are like”, Theodore agreed.

”Right now they seem to assume that we're all like that traitorous little vixen.”

”Yes, exactly. That's what they say about us a lot”, Klaus agreed, looking thoughtful. ”Where's the Empress? I was hoping that she might be with you as well.”

”Regina is alive and well, but walks her own path. I'm on my way to meet her.”

Klaus nodded, and then looked at Aurora – who had a troubled look on her face – before he turned his attention back to Theodore. Natsu, however, kept looking at Aurora. He couldn't shake off the feeling that something wasn't ok with her.

”Yo, Aura, are you okay?” he asked her.

”I don't know, Natsu. I have this weird feeling of restlessness that really bothers me”, Aurora answered. She looked thoughtful and added, ”It's like there's something that I have to do somewhere but I don't know where. The signals aren't clear.”

”Who is this young lady?” Klaus asked curiously.

”My daughter”, Theodore said proudly.

”Oh, I'm sorry I didn't recognize her immediately, Your Majesty.”

”Don't worry about it, Klaus. It seems to me that a lot of people on this timeline haven't even heard of her before anyway. It's probably the best because the enemy can't use her for their little games now”, Theodore said.

”Yes, you are right about that, Your Majesty”, Klaus agreed.

They heard knocking on the door, and Skye came back in with a smile on her face. Natsu noticed a crowd of people outside trying to catch a glimpse of who was in the old restaurant. Skye closed the door and Natsu could hear the moans of disappointment from the citizens outside. It made him chuckle.

”Your arrival has made the citizens very curious, Your Majesty”, Skye just said. ”They've gathered outside to see if it's true that you've returned.”

”They want to see me?” Theodore asked.

”Yes, they probably expect you to give us an encouraging speech about how we will purge Fioreans or something along those lines.”

”Are we that vengeful, Skye?” Theodore raised his eyebrow.

”Yes, Your Majesty. Fiore will never learn to be kind to us. Even when we were at peace, and working together, they still thought we weren't equal to them.”

Theodore looked thoughtful as he stood up. ”No, I don't want to provoke these people, Skye. This city needs to be protected at all costs so we cannot provoke Fioreans into attacking us directly. Instead, I will give them the hope that they all need. They want to hear about Regina.”

”I really hoped you would've wanted to wage war on those Fioreans”, Skye sighed.

_The thirst for blood runs high in this empire,_ Natsu thought in awe.

Skye opened the door and held it open for Theodore. He sighed and went outside, where the crowd immediately broke into wild cheers.

Their happiness was almost touchable, and it made Natsu smile as they followed him outside. Theodore was surrounded by the crowd who listened to his words eagerly.

”Where's the Empress, Your Majesty?” Natsu heard one of the soldiers ask – the crowd grew silent immediately. ”I heard a rumor that she has returned, too.”

”Regina is alive. She's walking her own path to a place where we are going to meet shortly”, Theodore diplomatically said. He smiled. ”Don't worry about her. She's a strong woman, and can protect herself. I believe in her with all my heart.”

Natsu could hear how everyone gave out a sigh of breath they didn't even know they were holding. Then Theodore told them that he and Regina would return to Zephyrus together, and they would rebuild the city back to its former glory.

The crowd cheered.

_They truly love Theodore and Regina_ , Natsu thought as he watched how people shook hands with their Emperor.

_I wonder if they noticed Aurora at all though,_ he added as he glanced towards the young princess who was talking with Skye nearby.

”They're not even aware of who Aurora is”, Sting said. ”And yes, you did say that aloud, Natsu.”

”Hmm, weird that they didn't notice Aura. She looks exactly like Regina”, Happy wondered.

”Maybe it's a time related issue”, Gray said. ”This whole time travel stuff still makes me confused. Like, even kicking this little rock could change the future somehow, I bet”, he added looking at a small rock on the ground.

”Your speech was excellent, Your Majesty”, Klaus told Theodore as he joined them, and Skye began to guide them towards the palace.

”I'm not good with giving speeches. Regina usually takes care of those with the unbelievable charm that enchants the audience the moment she opens her mouth”, Theodore said, and smiled at a distant memory – or that's what it looked like to Natsu.

”It was good enough to give hope for these people who need it the most. Our current war with Fiore has been going nonstop for years, and it's getting very tiring for all of us. But you made everyone feel hopeful that one day it'll end and that Zephyrus will be glorious once more.”

”Yes, I thought so too”, Theodore smiled as they reached the gate of the second wall that surrounded the palace and the yard around it.

”This wall looks older than the first one”, Erza pointed out.

”Yes, it was built in 875X to protect Zephyrians from the Soulless outbreak. Back then our Empress ordered everyone to evacuate the city to the palace grounds so she could protect us from the horrors of the nighttime when the Soulless would roam free”, Klaus explained as they stepped through the gate and the guards bowed to Theodore, who nodded at them.

Natsu saw a lot of abandoned houses everywhere in the yard, and also a old, darkened building for Academy of Science Zephyrus HQ, as it said on the wall over the front doors.

”We should have taken care of Lisanna sooner than we did. This destruction would have been avoided completely if we had”, Erza said as she looked around.

”You were guided into the wrong direction towards a timeline where the destruction was inevitable”, Aurora told her. ”Lucy was guided by a phony goddess. If she had rebelled earlier than she did, this Zephyrus wouldn't exist. I don't blame Lucy for this though. That goddess has been playing tricks on everybody for so long that she's a master at it.”

Natsu sighed anyway.

It was evident that all the destruction and suffering that they had witnessed on their journey had been their fault. They had changed the past, which had caused changes in the future and they had thought they were doing the good thing! Turned out that they had brought pain and suffering for everybody instead. Realizing that Natsu couldn't help but feel a slight bit of guilt in his heart. They had to fix all the damage they had done somehow. But how fix something that's already broken beyond repair? Would it even be possible?

”Can we fix this...?” he asked carefully.

”I don't know, Natsu”, came the answer from Aurora. ”But we have to try, right?”

Natsu smiled, although he still felt pretty bad. ”Yeah, let's try it.”

”Oh, the rose garden looks really ugly”, Aurora suddenly said and shook her head. ”I really loved this place.”

”I know, Aura. It was one of my favorite places in the palace area as well”, Theodore agreed.

”We can't let mother see it like this. She'd be so angry”, Aurora giggled.

Theodore smiled, and had a distant look in his eyes for a moment before it disappeared. Then he sighed, and Natsu couldn't help but think that he probably missed Regina a lot. Theodore didn't really talk about it but it was pretty clear to him because he missed Lucy a lot, too.

The palace building looked exactly how Natsu remembered it – it was a glorious building made of stone. This time, however, only a few floors seemed to be lit unlike last time when the building was bathing in the light. It had looked almost spooky to him. Now it looked even more spooky because there weren't a lot of lights on.

The guards on the both sides of the front doors bowed to Theodore as they walked into the palace. Every servant and guard that were in the entrance hall bowed to him before they went on their ways, too. Theodore always nodded at them. It was a bit of a shock to Natsu because when there were no Reanians around, Theodore was just like every other person but here he had taken the role of the Emperor immediately.

The entrance hall was a dimly lit, round shaped area with doors to the west and the east wings, and in the middle of them was a stairway to the upper floors. In the middle of the hall there was a table with a vase filled with a bouquet of roses on it.

”This place looks so warm and welcoming”, Aurora whispered. ”I'm home!”

Skye smiled. ”I'm glad that this pleases you, Your Highness. I worked hard to make everything look nice.”

”I'm grateful, Skye. I'm sure mother would love this, too!” Aurora said and flashed her 'small sun' smile at her.

Skye smiled back, and guided them upstairs. There was a red carpet on the floor in the hall they arrived to. There were even more stairs that went in the upper floors.

”I want to talk more about the current war with you, Klaus, is that OK with you?” Theodore said.

”Yes, my office is upstairs, Your Majesty.”

”Aura, please stay with the others. I know you'd like to explore the palace now that we're finally home”, Theodore told his daughter.  
”Why?” Aurora asked, sounding disappointed. ”This is our home, father...”

”You will get attached and will never want to leave”, Theodore said gently. ”Our Zephyrus is in the past, my dear. We can't get attached to this one. Understood?”

Aurora sighed, and nodded. She had a sad look on her face.

”Don't be sad, Aura, sooner or later we'll be sitting in the rose garden with Regina sipping her tea from those cups she likes”, Theodore said and hugged her tightly.

”I loved it when mother came to Caelum summoned by Lucy. She was so frightening”, Aurora said, admiration evident in her voice.

Theodore looked worried for a minute and then smiled. ”Yes, dear, she was. Now, go to bed and rest.”

”I will, father. Don't be up too late!” Aurora told him as he followed Klaus upstairs.

”Can we go to our rooms now?” Natsu asked and yawned. ”I really need a rest now.”

”Sure, Natsu”, Skye said and smiled, and she guided them to the second floor corridor, and spoke, ”All the rooms in this floor are yours. I made sure that everything is nice and cozy so you can rest well. The guards has been informed that you're emperor's companions, so you won't be in trouble. You _can_ also explore the palace if you wish to do so, and send a servant to get me if you need anything or have questions.”

”Thank you, Skye”, Erza said smiling.

”No problem. See you in the morning, everyone. Good night”, Skye said. She bowed and left.

”I never thought we'd be spending a night in this palace once again”, Sting said as he opened one of the doors. He went inside Lector and Froche right behind him. He closed the door.

”Let's go to bed too, Happy”, Natsu yawned and opened the next door. ”G'night everyone, see you in the morning”, he said and went in.

He closed the door behind him and yawned again.

”Why am I so fuckin' tired suddenly?” he murmured.

”Aye sir...” Happy murmured while he walked towards the bed. ”I bet it was the food... It was so delicious...”  
”Yeah, these people really know how to cook”, Natsu said grinning.

”I miss Luce though. This feels like the time when we were looking for her last time”, Happy suddenly said.

Natsu sighed and nodded. He agreed with him. How long would they and Lucy be separated this time? Forever? What if she would be following Regina from now on and they would become enemies? Natsu had no idea.

”We can't give up, Happy. We gotta go where she is and tell her we want her to stay with us”, Natsu said. ”We'll stay with her until the end of time if needed, ok?”

” _Don't worry, Natsu Dragneel. You and your Seeress will cross paths soon. But for now you must stay by Seeress Aurora's side”,_ said a mysterious female voice in the room.

”Whoa, what is this?” Natsu said.

”I don't know. It sounds unfamiliar to me, yet very friendly”, Happy said in a shocked voice.

” _Stay with Seeress Aurora until her misguided Warrior appears, Natsu Dragneel. You will need his guidance to the door of Dimensions Beyond which lies in the Place Where Forgotten Time Lies”,_ gentle voice spoke before its presence in the room disappeared.

”'Aurora's Warrior'?” Happy asked. ”I don't get this anymore. Why does weird stuff always happen in this city?”

”I don't know, Happy. Let's just sleep now and talk about this with the others in the morning”, Natsu said and yawned. ”I'm just too tired to care at the moment.”

Happy nodded and they climbed into the cozy bed. They fell asleep before their heads even hit the pillow.

*********

When Natsu woke up in the morning, he was happy that yesterday's storm had finally passed. He really didn't want to do a search for the time gate in a storm that prevented him from seeing further than the tip of his nose. It would've been too challenging for them. Now it would be easier and they wouldn't be wasting their time. Natsu really wanted to go and find Lucy so he could talk to her and say how sorry he is.

After Natsu and Happy had gotten ready for the day, and stepped out of the room they had shared, they had to cover up their eyes because the sunshine in the corridor was too bright.

”Hey, Natsu, what's up with Aura?” Happy asked.

Natsu followed his gaze and saw the young princess standing by the window at the other end of the corridor. She was mumbling something but Natsu couldn't hear well what she said.

”Let's check if she's ok, Happy”, Natsu decided and walked over to her. ”What's up, Aura?”

”I can't figure out the signals I get from that direction”, Aurora said, clearly annoyed. She looked tired as hell too. Had she been awake all night thinking about those signs?

”I get these signals from that place over there”, she added while pointing at the area outside Zephyrus. It looked like a snowy area, but had a weird dark structure in the middle of it. ”I need to get to that place. It's very importat, Natsu.”

”Whoa, what's that place over there?” Happy asked while he floated in the air.

”I don't know, Happy, but I need to go there”, Aurora answered.

”Maybe we should ask Klaus”, Natsu said. ”Come on, let's go find him!”

”You're so full of energy all the time, Natsu”, Aurora said. ”I can see why Lucy loves you so much.”

Natsu sighed. ”I hope she still does. I said something I shouldn't have said and she got so mad at me before she left Caelum...”

”Don't worry, Natsu, those type of feelings won't disappear just like that. You and her will cross paths again soon, I promise”, Aurora said smiling.

”You're not scary like your mother”, Happy said without even thinking.

Aurora looked at them with a raised eyebrow. ”Are you scared of my mother? How can you feel that way about her? I don't think she's scary. It's true that she has her moments when she gets really dark but deep down she's the most loving and caring person I've ever met. I'm glad that she's my mother.”

”Sorry, we are just confused because we've only seen the darker woman”, Natsu said grinning. ”Happy, don't be rude!”

”Aye sir!” Happy just said, but Natsu knew that the mischievous Exceed didn't regret saying what he had said.

”It's ok, you two. Mother has her reasons to give off a 'scary vibe' to people but she does have that other side, too”, Aurora said. Her stomach growled so loudly that even Natsu could hear it. ”Ah, looks like I need food. Shall we go together?” she added smiling like a small sun.

”Yeah, let's go”, Natsu agreed.

”Finally! I thought you were gonna talk forever!” Happy exclaimed as they walked downstairs. ”Maybe they have some red snapper for me...”

In the entrance hall of the palace they saw Theodore talking with Klaus. Aurora immediately walked over to them and said, ”What's that white area with a black structure in the middle of it to the West from here?”

”It's the Sky City Crocus ruins, Your Highness. The white substance that surrounds the wide area around it are the dormant souls of the dead that are unable to move to Valhalla. They fall to the ground and stay there until they can move forward once again”, Klaus explained.

”I see. There's something that keeps calling me in that direction. Do you know if there are people living in that area?”

”I don't know, Your Highness. We have never visited that area. I'm sorry.”

”It's alright, Klaus. I will check it out myself then”, Aurora said and flashed her 'small sun smile' at Klaus, who smiled back kindly.

_This princess has everyone wrapped around her finger soon,_ Natsu thought.

”Let's talk about it more after breakfast, Aura. Would you like to join us, Klaus?” Theodore said.

”No, I have eaten already and now I have to go and check the traps we set up before yesterday's storm. We probably won't see each other again so I have to say that it's been an honour to meet you, Your Majesty. I hope your journey goes well and you can return home safely”, Klaus said and bowed.

”I hope your hunting trip is victorious, Klaus. It was good to meet you”, Theodore told him. They shook hands, and then Klaus turned around and left the palace.

”I think that guy was working at the palace in 491X”, Theodore murmured. ”He looks so familiar, and behaves like Master Klaus, who had a group of hunters who would go on weekly hunting trips...”

”Maybe he got lost in time when mother changed the timeline”, Aurora said. ”I was at the palace when the timeline broke down, father. I remember a lot of people walked into spacetime distortions and never came back. Klaus and his daughter may have been among them.”

”You're probably correct, my dear”, Theodore agreed. He was quiet for a moment, and looked at his daughter, looking thoughtful. Then he said, ”You look tired, Aura. Did you sleep at all?”

”No, father. I was restless all night because I couldn't go and do what I should be doing”, Aurora said and sighed. ”We have to leave as soon as possible.”

”Alright, Aura. Let's have breakfast first though”, Theodore said, and he had a small smile on his lips. ”You're just as impatient as your mother, Aura”, he said as an explanation.

”You miss her so much, father. You talk about her all the time!”

”Guilty”, Theodore confessed as he guided them into the corridor where Natsu could smell a delicious scent of food.

His stomach immediately growled.

There was a open door at the end of the corridor from where the scent came from. They went inside and found themselves in a big room, that looked like a ballroom rather than a dining room which Natsu had expected to see.

”This is the ballroom”, Theodore said when he noticed that Natsu looked around curiously.

”Oh, they still have that painting on the wall!” Aurora said excitedly and hurried over the two chairs on the pedestal on the other end of the room. On the wall, between two red tapestries there was a huge painting of Regina and Theodore but Aurora was nowhere to be seen. Regina and Theodore both had crowns on their heads and they looked very... royal.

”Why aren't you in the painting, Aura?” Happy asked. He had already joined the others who were eating breakfast and talking quietly.

”It was painted before I was born”, Aurora answered and smiled. ”But I love it anyway because it's beautiful.”

Natsu sat down on the tabe and began to eat silently. He noticed that others were mostly silent as well and wondered what was the reason behind it.

_Nah, maybe they're just too tired,_ Natsu thought while pushing away the thought of that mysterious voice that he had heard last night. _Yesterday was a crazy day with Lucy turning into a reb–_

”I heard a weird voice in my room last night”, Sting's voice interrupted his thoughts.

”I heard one too”, Gray said quietly and drank more orange juice.

”Same”, Erza mumbled through the strawberry cake that she was eating.

”It told me to stick with Aurora until her Warrior appears”, Natsu said.

”Same here”, Sting agreed.

”Why do you look so satisfied about this, Aura?” Theodore asked calmly as if hearing voices was completely normal.

_But then again, this is the guy who's married to Regina so maybe he's used to weird things?_ Natsu thought.

”Because I know who it was”, Aurora just said, bringing Natsu out of his thoughts. ”She's not a villain. She tried to change this world, but was mistreated and betrayed in return yet she still believes in the goodness of the humanity.”

”What's her name?” Lector asked.

”Seeress Serena. She's been imprisoned in Caelum for centuries now, and was forced to become Sae's eyes and ears on our timeline.”

”Hey, I remember that name”, Sting said. ”She's the ancestor of Heartfilias'.”

”Yes. She's the Seeress of Light, and was the leader of the Time Mages in Caelum a long time ago.”

”But if she holds the power of light, how did Regina become so dark? And Luce?” Natsu asked, feeling confused.

Something must have happened to change Heartfilias in the past – but what?

”I don't know, Natsu. I couldn't finish my research because you arrived and Lucy decided to finally come to her senses and help mother”, Aurora said. ”I was really close to solve that mystery before that but I guess I have to find what I need somewhere else then.”

”So... you want us to help?” Erza asked.

”Yes, I need you to help me because the path I'm walking on is very dangerous”, Aurora answered.

”Fine with me. You seem like a nice girl, Aura”, Gray said, and others agreed.

”I'm glad that you think so because there's something I need to do here”, Aurora smiled.

”What is it?” Happy asked curiously.

”There's something in the Sky City Crocus ruins that I have to do.”

”Alright, let's move then!” Natsu said grinning. ”Maybe we'll find a doorway to where Luce went too!”

”Aye sir!” Happy agreed with him.

”Are we leaving now?” Theodore asked calmly as he finished drinking his tea.

”Yes, we are. Why?” Erza asked.

”Because if I stay here any longer, it'll be harder for me to leave”, Theodore answered and glanced towards the painting on the wall as he sighed.

”Same here, father”, Aurora agreed. ”I missed Zephyrus so much when I was in Caelum.”

*********

Once Natsu and others got out of the Zephyrus Fortress, they began their journey towards the Sky City Crocus ruins in the distance. On their way they saw lots of ruins from the old times before Lisanna had set the Soulless Army free. There was even a train laying on the ground forgotten next to a old, forgotten railroad. All the windows were broken, and Natsu was sure that if he looked inside, he'd see a bunch of old skeletons still laying there everywhere – the thought made him shiver.

”Sae enjoyed watching how this timeline fell into total chaos”, Aurora said quietly. ”She kept an eye on you the whole time, and smiled whenever you changed something that wasn't supposed to be changed. She even laughed at how clueless Lucy was for not realizing what her role really was...”

”What do you mean, Aura?” Natsu asked.

”The mark on Lucy's shoulder was never a sign of a blessing from a Goddess of Time.”

”What?”

”I don't know what that Mark really means but it's not what Sae's Mark really looks like”, Aurora explained, furrowing her eyebrows. ”I wasn't able to find enough information yet because you returned and things got a bit crazy.”

”I'm sure we'll find more about it eventually”, Theodore said thoughtful look on his face.

”We gotta do something about that woman”, Sting said.

”I agree with Sting”, Erza said. ”If Sae's going to destroy our timeline, we have to fight and protect what's left of it. Maybe we'll find a way to save it.”

”But how are we gonna do it?” Lector asked.

”Hard to say, we don't know much about her”, Gray answered.

”We only know that she has a device called 'The Purge', which turns the victims into mindless puppets with no free will”, Theodore said. ”Unless you know something you haven't told us, Aura. You did spend a lot of time with Sae after all.”

Aurora looked thoughtful for a moment, and then said, ”Well, I learned that Sae can't control mother's – or Lucy's – fate. Sae wants to get rid of them both because people like them are a threat to her plans or something. She didn't trust me enough to tell me everything because I'm Regina's daughter.”

”Wait a minute – what do you mean by 'Sae can't control Regina's and Lucy's fate'?” Natsu asked curiously.

”I'm not exactly sure of what it is, but my family has always been like that. No matter what direction Sae tries to make us walk, we rebel and do the exact opposite. Like Regina started the rebellion in Zephyrus that Sae didn't expect, and now Lucy betraying her. And me. I'm immune to all tricks that she has tried on me. It confuses Sae because she's used to seeing people being under her control at all times. She thought Lucy was easy to control but was wrong. It's a family thing, Dragneel, you wouldn't understand it”, Aurora explained and grinned.

”Ouch, that sounds like me and others are all following some kind of a path that has been made for us”, Natsu said.

”You're not following the path that Sae had ready for you”, Aurora said. ”I'm guiding you on a path that Sapientia created for us. Hopefully it leads to a way to defeat Sae, too.”

”Oh, I see”, Erza said. ”You just gave me an answer to a question I've wanted to ask from you, Aura.”

”Yes, Sapientia is aware that you people are interested but we can't do anything about it just yet. We can only escape the upcoming disaster for now”, Aurora said.

”So we just follow the plan and go through the door to the Dimensions Beyond like Sapientia told us. Then we can investigate”, Gray said. ”But we need Rogue to guide us to that door. I'm pretty sure he knows how to get to Regina's palace.”

”We're gonna save Rogue?” Froche said, looking hopeful.

”Yep, we are, Froche.”

Froche's expression turned from hopeful into excited immediately. Natsu hadn't seem him like this at all ever since the crazy adventure began. Usually he was quiet and utterly depressed, so this change was only a good thing.

So they kept walking towards the area ahead of them. More and more old ruins and wreckage began to appear on their way. They even saw few abandoned Zephyrus Skylines ships on the ground. A lot of them were vandalised and had text 'Traitors! You will die!' on them. As they passed them, they also began to see pieces of houses and other items on the ground. They had fallen from the floating city during the chaotic events that had taken place in it.

As they got closer to the border of the wasteland, they also began to see more and more piles of crystal powder on the ground. And when Natsu looked up, he noticed that almost the whole wasteland was covered in it. Even the city ruins few meters away looked like it was swallowed by this substance that looked like snow. It shone in the sun light, making the area look mysterious. Also, because the city had fallen so close to the sea, parts of it were now underwater. They could even see parts of the long tower looking houses standing in the sea.

”This place looks scary”, Happy said. ”I think we should be careful.”

”There is no danger here”, Aurora said. ”Let's go.”

The group took a step into the area, and it felt like a veil of peace fell over them. Natsu hadn't felt this peaceful for a very long time. He barely even remembered what it felt like!

”Why do I feel so peaceful here?” Erza asked curiously.

”It's a blessing from my goddess. Even though this timeline is basically under Sae's control, Sapientia can still do things here and because she feels a lot of sympathy for the victims of the devastation in 1300X, she has blessed this place so these souls can have their peace”, Aurora answered. ”Sapientia is a kind goddess unlike Sae.”

When they finally arrived to the actual city, they had to climb in from the destroyed Hope Terminal, and after they had done that, they found themselves standing in the abandoned, burned, completely devastated city. Some of the buildings were still standing, but even they were badly damaged.

Natsu had a hard time to not to remember his wonderful date with Lucy just the day before it all began. He had been so happy that day that he had forgotten why they had been there.

It was sad to see the city he and the others had tried to save laying hopelessly and completely forgotten on the ground.

”This way”, Aurora said and turned to the right from the bridge highway.

Everyone silently followed her. Natsu knew the way. She was going towards the Central City Park. They had to climb over the broken highways and destroyed buildings that blocked them from going forward by foot on their way to the park. As they began to get closer, Natsu was surprised to see completely unharmed Fairy Tail Hotel in the middle of the ruins. The only thing that made it look abandoned was the lack of lights. Otherwise it looked exactly like it had been before the chaos had taken over the city.

Aurora turned to the right path which lead to the central park. There, Natsu saw how everything was just as destroyed as in everywhere else in the city. Lisanna had succeeded in turning this world upside down by destroying everything on her way.

”Ugh...” growled a voice on the other side of the park's broken water fountain.

Aurora hurried towards the voice and everyone followed. Soon, it was evident that what had drawn the young Seeress here was Rogue himself. He had kneeled on the ground, and held his head as if he was in agony.

Aurora didn't say anything. She just kneeled herself in front of him and put her hands on the sides of his head.

”What...?” Rogue said, finally acknowledging Aurora's presence. ”Who are you...?”

”Shh, your pain will be gone soon”, Aurora kindly said and smiled. Then she closed her eyes and said, ”Cleanse.”

Four circles of light appeared around Rogue's head, and they moved up and down for a moment as if they scanned his mind, and then they disappeared. Aurora let go of him.

”Can you stand up? Did the pain go away?” she asked.

”I think so”, Rogue said, and he stood up.

He turned around and noticed Natsu and others standing there confused looks on their faces. Then he looked at Aurora again, and then at her companions and smiled mockingly.

”Looks like Lucy finally accepted her fate.”

”Oh, c'mon, Rogue”, Sting said. ”That's not a 'thank you for your help, Aurora'.”

”Aurora?” Rogue asked, and looked at the young girl. ”As in, Aurora Heartfilia? Oh yes, I know perfectly well that Theodore and Regina has a daughter”, he added and then looked at the said daughter, who looked back a fierce look in her eyes.

”Who gave you the dark powers you're using?” she asked.

Rogue only smiled evilly and the black smoke began to swirl around him. Before he was gone, he said, ”Someone with whom you people should never mess with.”

And then, he was gone.

Aurora looked furious, and in that state she looked exactly like a raging Regina Heartfilia.

”Someone else is messing with the timeline as well”, she eventually said.

”What do you mean?” Natsu asked.

”Rogue's darkness was the exact same one that would have eventually killed my mother as she refused to use it”, Aurora said.

”So...?” Gray said, furrowing his eyebrows.

”This magic isn't his own, Gray. Unlike my mother, who had this power since birth, Rogue's power was _given_ to him but by who?” Aurora said as she picked up the floating artefact that had appeared after Rogue had left.

”We need to chase Rogue down. He has met this person”, Natsu said. ”Let's make him talk and then kick some sense to him, ok?”

Everyone nodded in agreement, and then Aurora opened the time gate. Then, one by one, they jumped in.


	33. The Summoner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the second chapter for today. This is officially the longest chapter in this story with 14 pages in total. I got very inspired as it was the first new chapter I wrote after I got back my spark to write this story again, lol. I really like this chapter personally. It's one of my favorites in this story as I was able to put my ideas down as I had visioned them as I had been waiting for a chance to finally reveal what really happened to Rogue. This stuff had been stuck in my mind for quite some time and it was awesome to finally get it out of my head. :)
> 
> This chapter includes torture scenes in the second flashback, so if you don't like those type of things, you can skip it. It won't ruin the reading experience at all. :)
> 
> Happy reading! ♥

_Year: 1550X  
_ _Waterfall (Old Hargeon)_

When Natsu and others stepped out from the gate, they didn't expect to find themselves in a familiar looking place – it was the ruins of the Old Hargeon. Now hundreds of years old buildings were slowly being reclaimed by the nature, and the darkened Salvation Terminal along with the new town that stood by it were almost completely covered by the white crystal flake snow that shone brightly in the sunlight.

 _This flake snow seems to take over the whole continent little by little,_ Natsu thought as he looked around. _It doesn't seem that anyone is living here anymore..._ he added as he looked at the ghost town.

”Looks like the Sky City Magnolia eventually fell from the sky”, Happy said.

Natsu looked at the same direction he was looking at and noticed a partially burned, and a very much abandoned, city ruins standing in the ocean few meters away from the Old Hargeon.

”I think it was shot down”, Theodore said. ”I can't tell which side did it though...”

”Does it really matter?” Sting asked impatiently. ”We're here to help Rogue so let's go and search!”

”But we don't know where to look and there's nobody living in these ruins”, Gray pointed out.

”We'll ask around”, Sting said.

”From who? There are no people aroun–”

”I think those people coming towards us are human beings, Gray”, Sting interrupted and pointed at somewhere.

Natsu and others turned to look into that direction and saw a group of people running towards them. They were all wearing Reanian Empire's uniforms as they surrounded the time travellers and pointed their guns at them looking very suspicious.

 _This is just like what happened in Zephyrus in 1450X,_ Natsu thought.

”Who are you and what business do you have in this town?” soldiers' commander asked.

”Let me”, Theodore said hastily and stepped in front of Natsu. ”We aren't your enemies, commander. We're here looking for a man who calls himself Rogue. He is also known as the Summoner of Darkness. Have you seen him?”

The guards looked at one another for a moment and then at the commander, who looked even more suspicous now.

”You are coming with us. Our leaders will decide if you're worthy of our trust or not”, he eventually said. ”Men, tie their hands up.”

”Yes, sir.”

”Are you sure this is necessary?” Theodore asked as his wrists were tied together with a rope that would prevent him from using magic. ”We come in peace.”

”We can't trust you with all the sneaky Fioreans around”, commander simply said.

Natsu tried to struggle against the guards when they tried to tie his wrists up. What if Rogue attacked them while they were unable to defend themselves? It would only end badly. However, Natsu gave up once Theodore gave him a warning glare.

After everyone's hands were tied up, guards ordered them to walk to the iron gates few meters away. As they got closer, Commander shouted something at the guard towers on the both sides of the gate and the guards up there opened them.

The town on the other side was built into a well hidden canyon – which was the very same one that Natsu and others had walked through on their way to Salvation Terminal a while ago. Now it looked very advanced because there were a lot of small objects that flew in the air as if to keep an eye on things within the town. Houses were built on the both sides of the canyon, attached to the walls by manmade stone salients. People used elevators to move up and down between the houses. They were connected to the other side by a set of bridges of which all were partly made of glass.

The bridge pathway Natsu and others were walking on was headed towards a huge dome shaped house in the middle of the canyon. Bridge was divided into other directions as well but the guards wouldn't allow them to go explore. At the other end of the main bridge there were stone stairs of which Natsu and the others were told to climb in order to reach the dome building.

Once they reached the top of the stairs, Natsu was surprised at how big the dome actually was. Building it must have taken a while. And once they went in, it looked even bigger. It was nothing but one big hall where the leaders of the town sat on their chairs. There were also long lines of tables there where people sat reading books or chatting or doing experiments.

 _If this is supposed to be a throne room, it's a very unusual one,_ Natsu thought as he watched how various people went in and out of the doors on the both sides of the room.

 _This whole place is very unusual. How are Reanians and Fioreans living here together like this? I thought they hated each other,_ he added as he looked around.

”Who are these people and why have you tied their hands, Commander?” asked a curious male voice nearby.

”Sir, we found these unrecognizable people nearby our gates. They came out from the mysterious object that appeared in the area a week ago. It appears to be some kind of a gateway”, Commander answered as he bowed to the man and his wife who sat on the golden chairs that looked like they were thrones.

Natsu also noticed – and he was sure that the others in his group did too – that the leaders were wearing different type of clothes but the crowns on their heads looked very similar. Man was wearing a similar uniform than the commander and his soldiers but unlike them, he had a purple cape on as well. His hair and eyes were dark as well, as was typical for all Reanians. His wife had green hair and ice blue eyes and was wearing a white dress. She was definitely a Fiorean.

”A gateway, you say?” the king asked curiously as he looked at the faces of Natsu and others. Then he turned to look at his wife and said, ”What do you think, Amira?”

”I think they look like the time travellers who are often mentioned in the old history books, Edgar”, the queen answered.

”Yes, I believe so, too”, the king agreed.

”Commander”, Amira ordered. ”Let them go. They aren't dangerous.”

”As you wish, your highness”, Commander said and nodded to his guards who immediately untied Natsu's and others' hands. Natsu couldn't help but notice how suspicious the commander looked when he looked at the salmon haired man.

”You can return to your position at the front gate now, commander”, Edgar said. ”We wouldn't want the scum from the South to attack us now.”

Commander nodded, bowed again and then left with his soldiers.

Amira sighed. ”He still doesn't approve me at all, Edgar.”

”Don't worry, dear. One day he'll see what a great queen you are”, Edgar said, and the couple exchanged a loving smile for a couple of seconds and then the king turned his attention to Natsu and others. ”So, what brings you here?”

”Why are you living here together in peace?” Happy blurted out. ”We were told that Reana and Fiore were at war.”

”This area is a safe zone for everyone”, Amira explained. ”We Magnolians were very kind to Reanians once we had accepted that we'll never be a part of Fiore again in 794X. We knew how to live in peace with them after that so when Crocus fell from the sky in 1300X and the war broke out, we made it clear that Sky City Magnolia isn't going to take any part in it. Instead, we took the homeless Reanians in. Fioreans didn't like it so they bombed our Sky City down and we had to hide here. We have lived here since then.”

”Others are still fighting in the South”, Edgar said. ”They have decided to purge one another off the face of earth.”

”I think that gives us a good impression of what's going on”, Theodore said. ”Shall we discuss of the real reason why we're here?”

”Yes, we would love to know why the time travellers who haven't been seen for 250 years suddenly appears on our doorstep”, Edgar said.

”We are on a mission. Our objective is to find a man called Rogue, also known as the Summoner of Darkness. It's important that we find and talk to him.”

”I see”, Amira said. ”Why do you need to talk to him?”

 _They know him,_ Natsu thought and glanced at Erza who also had the same look of realization on her face.

”We want to cleanse his soul from the darkness”, Aurora answered. ”He's our guide to the Place Where Forgotten Time Lies.”

”As I thought”, Amira said. ”Our timeline is broken, isn't it?”

”It's dying”, Aurora said.

”The prophets were right, Edgar. They told us that the Protectors of Time will appear, and they'll bring us a message of The End of Days, remember?”

”I hate it when those people are right”, Edgar sighed. ”It also means that we cannot keep you here. Rogue is in the ruins of the old Magnolia.”

”That's it?” Sting asked. ”You just lured us into revealing stuff and then let us go?”

”Would you rather get locked up?” Edgar asked raising his eyebrow.

”Not really.”

”Off you go then.”

”Good. I'd rather finish this journey as soon as possible”, Gray said.

”We hope that you'll be successful”, Amira said. ”Tell our commander that you got our permission to leave the city in case you run into him again.”

”Will do”, Erza said. ”Shall we go then?” she added to others.

Everyone nodded as a answer.

_Place Where Forgotten Time Lies, 794X_

_When Rogue finally opened his eyes, the first thing that came to his mind was the question, 'am I lost in my own shadows?'. Then, suddenly, he remembered – he had been kidnapped in Crocus by Lisanna Strauss. Rogue hadn't been able to stop it from happening because her darkness had been more powerful than his and it had felt like it had suffocated him. He had lost his conciousness instead and now he had no idea where he was or what had happened to everyone else. Were they alright? Or had they lost?_

_Rogue looked around in his cold, unfamiliar cell. He could barely see anything because there was barely any light anywhere. Not even the small window was enough to bring the light in. And more importantly – why was he here? Why would he be important to Regina Heartfilia? Rogue couldn't tell. Maybe she was going to sacrifice him in some sort of a ritual?_

” _No, that wouldn't be it”, Rogue murmured and noticed how dry his mouth was. ”I need water...”_

” _Well, well, would you look at that”, said a familiar and very poisonous female voice from outside the door._

_Her mocking voice made Rogue feel angry. ”Let me out of here, bitch.”_

_Lisanna giggled. ”I can't do that, Rogue. You will serve Regina until Lucy is ready to take your place.”_

” _What does that mean? Why does she need Lucy? What for?”_

” _Are you seriously thinking that I'm gonna reveal my Master's plans to scum like you?” Lisanna said and laughed coldly. Then she grinned at him._

” _But you... little dragon, you're going to tell me everything you know about Lucy...”_

_The menacing sound of her voice made even Rogue feel fear. This Lisanna was absolutely frightening – a perfect example of how darkness could consume the weak minded._

” _What has she done to you, Lisanna? You used to be nice”, he said as Lisanna opened the door and came into the cell._

” _She gave me the freedom I have always secretly wanted”, white haired demon answered. ”And now you're coming with me to my special little chamber, little dragon...”_

_Lisanna grinned evilly as she forced Rogue to get up on his feet. Then, she guided him outside..._

Once Natsu and others got out of the little Canyon Town – as Natsu called it since it didn't look like Hargeon at all – they realized they had no way to get to Magnolia as fast as possible. Eventually Aurora surprised everyone by telling them of her Teleport skill. She and Theodore ended up starting an argument over the fact that Aurora might get exhausted for using it too much. Eventually Theodore lost the argument and Aurora teleported them all to Magnolia.

Natsu and others looked at their abandoned hometown in silence. None of them had expected it to feel so... sad. The memory of the city in Natsu's mind was completely different compared to this dead, crystal flake snow covered place.

”So this is Magnolia, hm?” Aurora broke the silence and looked around. ”Not exactly what I expected.”

”This city is beautiful in 791X”, Erza said.

”Must be painful to look at it now.”

”We're gonna fix it eventually”, Natsu said and grinned. ”Then you can come check it out!”

”That would be great”, Aurora said smiling.

”Let's not forget what we came here to do”, Theodore reminded them.

”I agree with Theo”, Sting said. ”We gotta hunt Rogue down before he hunts us down and surprises us or just disappears.”

”Fro thinks so too!” Froche said, looking excited over the fact that he'll finally get his best friend back.

”I can feel his darkness everywhere here”, Aurora informed them.

”Can you sense his exact location?” Natsu asked.

”No. He has moved around in this place so much that it's impossible to locate him.”

”Can Natsu or Sting smell him?” Erza asked.

Natsu and Sting smelt the air but it was no use. Even though this place was dead and there was no one around, for some reason they were unable to find Rogue's scent. Natsu was sure it was because of the dark magic he used. Maybe he had a skill to hide himself from anyone who tried to track him down?

”I think he can hide his scent from us somehow”, Sting said. ”I smelt a lot of things but Rogue wasn't among them.”

”That's more than possible”, Aurora agreed. ”His darkness is powerful. Not to mention those Dragon Slayer skills of his... He could hide from you quite easily.”

”I hate to hear that”, Natsu murmured.

”We should move”, Gray pointed out. ”The sooner we get this done the sooner we'll get to find that door Sapientia told us to find.”

”You're right”, Theodore said. ”Let's go.”

They began to search around the city but decided not to go to the other side of the second wall that surrounded the more advanced and secured 'New Magnolia'. Natsu was secretly happy about it because he just wanted to hurry up with this plan so he could go find Lucy and go with her through the door to the Dimensions Beyond. Then they'd be safe for a while, right? He definitely wasn't going to let Lucy become enslaved by a evil goddess!

********

”Wait a minute”, Sting said after they had been looking for Rogue for a couple of hours and had stopped to take a break from endless walking. ”I can smell Rogue here clearly. He went to that direction from here”, blonde man added and pointed at the direction.

The street Sting was pointing at was almost completely covered up with the house ruins and white crystal flake snow. He could see footprints on the snow. But the problem was that the road had been blocked by a big collapsed house.

”We can't get past that pile of rubble”, Erza said. ”Are you sure he went this way, Sting?”

”Of course”, Sting said grinning. ”My nose never lies.”

”How are we gonna get past this pile of rubble then? It's not possible without using magic and using it would ruin our possible advantage on him. We should use the roofs of these houses”, Erza went on.

”I don't think that's a good idea”, Theodore said. ”These houses are very old now. Those roofs will probably collapse beneath us.”

”How else can we get past that rubble then?”

”Flying?” Gray suggested.

”Not a good idea either”, Aurora said. ”Rogue would recognize you and attack immediately. We need to surprise him if we want to take him down easily.”

”I believe there is a way through this rubble”, Theodore said. ”Wait here. I'll go check it out”, he added and then walked towards the destroyed house. He climbed inside and disappeared. Everyone else stayed outside waiting for his return.

”Something's been bothering me a lot lately”, Gray said hesitantly after a few minutes of silence.

”What's that?” Sting asked.

”Sae hasn't sent anyone after us”, Gray said. ”Doesn't it make you feel like we're going to step into a trap sooner or later?”

”Good point”, Erza said. ”Why hasn't she sent anyone after us?”

Aurora sighed. ”Now that you mentioned it, I've had a bad feeling about our journey for a while now... I think something bad is going to happen sooner or later...”

”Lucy used to get those bad vibes too”, Natsu said. ”They were usually right.”

”We can get through this rubble to the other side”, Theodore's voice said. He stepped out from the rubble. ”We should probably keep moving. This place makes me feel uncomfortable.”

”Looks like we're all getting bad vibes this time”, Gray said as they followed Theodore into the destroyed house.

”What do you mean?” Theodore asked.

”We were just talking about how weird it is that Sae haven't sent anyone after us to stop us from leaving this timeline.”

”Do you think she's using us to get to mother?” Aurora asked.

”It's a possibility”, Theodore said reluctantly as if he was afraid to admit it.

”I doubt it”, Erza said.

”Sapientia told us that Sae has tried to get to Regina before. Then she went for it head-on and failed but I think she's probably going to try it differently this time. That's why she doesn't come after us just yet”, Theodore said.

”Should we warn them somehow?” Natsu said.

”We can't, and we probably shouldn't, because Sae probably wants it to happen. Let's just go to Regina's palace and do all we can to protect them until we step through that door, okay?”

”That's probably all we can do at this point”, Erza agreed.

The group stepped out on the other side of the destroyed house, and there was more obstacles ahead of them – more destroyed houses and behind all of that was the high stone wall that had once divided the old town from the new town.

”Where now? Everything looks destroyed”, Happy said while looking around.

”Over here”, Gray said as he walked towards the another direction where there was a open path through the ruins.

”Wait a moment, Gray”, Erza said. ”Did he go this way?” he asked from Aurora.

”I'm not sure but let's go this path anyway. It's the only path we can take”, young Seeress said. ”I have a feeling that we aren't that far away from his location.”

”I can smell him now”, Natsu said. ”We're on the right road.”

All the houses on the both sides of the street were in a even worse state than the ones on the previous street – everything was in shambles on the ground and covered in crystal flake snow. It all looked like a scary, abandoned graveyard.

Eventually they found their way out from the maze of destroyed houses, and Natsu recognized the centre area of Magnolia. As he looked around more, he could see clearly that people had been celebrating something when they got attacked by Lisanna's massive Soulless Army all those years ago. Natsu could imagine how horrifying it must have been for the citizens.

”Rogue is in the cathedral”, Aurora said whispered. ”I can sense his darkness...”

”Aura, are you OK?” Theodore asked.

”That darkness is powerful. It's ancient and... so tempting.”

Theodore sighed. ”It's as I always suspected then. You have the same weakness as your mother.”

Aurora nodded and sighed.

”Should we be worried about this?” Sting asked.

”Not necessarily. Regina submitted to the darkness when she was in danger and had no way out. She told me she was scared for her life when it happened”, Theodore explained. ”Aura's situation is completely different. Plus she was born with the power of light. It will protect her.”

”So she won't get in trouble if we go kick Rogue's ass now?” Natsu asked. ”Or should she stay out of it?”

”I'd prefer her to stay away but I know my daughter well enough that she isn't going to do as I say”, Theodore said as he shot the 'dad look' towards Aurora.

”Blame it on mother's genes, father”, she said. ”Anyways, you will need me during the fight so I can't stay out of it. Let's do this now that we got a chance, everyone!”

Sting had a thoughtful look on his face as the group began to walk towards the stone building few meters away.

_Place Where Forgotten Time Lies, 794X_

_As time went by, it became clear that Rogue was going to die before he could figure out how to escape. But it was impossible because he had been tortured for hours every day. He always lost his conciousness, and later woke up in his cell. Escaping from this little room was basically impossible with all the magic negating spells that Regina had put on. The only solution was to let Lisanna to come and get him, then hit her unconcious and run._

_Rogue had also noticed that all the questions that Regina and Lisanna asked him were about Lucy Heartfilia and Nora. Rogue refused to tell them anything because he had a feeling that they might get into trouble if he did._

_Rogue had no idea of how long he had been in his cell – because the castle was in a very dark place, he couldn't tell the difference between the day and night anymore. He couldn't even sleep properly anymore because his body hurt so much from the torture. That's why he had braced himself for the possibility that he will die here._

_But then, one day, everything changed._

_Lisanna came in to get him as usual, and dragged him to the torture chamber with a look of pure evil on her face and in there she tied him up onto the torture device._

” _Now it's time to continue with your interrogation”, Lisanna said, smiling evilly. ”Of course, personally I don't understand why they think you might know something.”_

” _What I know is none of your business”, Rogue said._

” _You should be more worried, Rogue. You're not getting out of here unless you spill the beans”, Lisanna said and grinned. ”I think Master Regina will turn you into a Soulless even if you gave us the information we want.”_

_Damn, this girl has gone insane, Rogue thought as the chills of fear went through his body. How can she talk about ripping someone's soul out of their body as if it's normal?_

” _You've gone insane, Lisanna. You need mental help”, Rogue said._

_It was a mistake to say that to her. She pressed a green button and immediately Rogue felt intense pain everywhere in his body as the electric shocks went through._

_He wished that it would just kill him at last._

_But it didn't._

_He lost his conciousness. When he finally woke up again, he was still attached to Lisanna's death machine and she was approaching him with a nasty looking knife. Her eyes had a look of menace in them. Rogue tried to get free, but it was no use. Lisanna was soon standing next to him and had put the razor sharp knife against his skin._

” _Tell me how Lucy Heartfilia became a Seeress”, white haired demon said._

_When Rogue said nothing, Lisanna cut him slowly. It hurt like hell because the edges of the knife's blade were like saws. Lisanna laughed in delight at the sight of blood pouring out of his body._

” _Tell me what I want to know and I might not hurt you again”, she whispered. ”How did Lucy Heartfilia become a Seeress? And who was that blonde clone of her who was in Sabertooth?”_

_Rogue refused to answer._

_Lisanna cut him again, and more blood came out. Pain was getting unbearable now._

” _You should just tell me what I want to know and this would be over”, Lisanna whispered. ”The next time you refuse, I will rip you open with this knife and you'll bleed to death.”_

” _I don't care. Go on. Kill me. I don't have any information that could help you with your twisted plans”, Rogue said as calmly as he could – in reality he knew a lot of things but knew that he had to keep them to himself no matter what._

” _You don't?” Lisanna laughed. ”Don't play games with me, Rogue. I know you hang out with Sting and that Lucy clone all the time.”_

” _How can you know all of that if you were in a mental hospital at the time?” Rogue asked._

” _Oh, it was pretty easy, Rogue. You were in the magazines with her all the time”, Lisanna said. ”I wasn't really that insane at the time – yet. Now it's your turn to tell me what I want to know.”_

” _As a favor in return? Dream on, demon. Go ahead and kill me!” Rogue told her._

” _No, Rogue – you must return the favor”, said Regina's voice._

” _I never will!”_

” _Is that really your answer?”_

” _Yes, it is. I don't care if I die. I'm not going to help you with your plans”, Rogue said._

_He didn't realize what he had done to himself by refusing to answer Queen of Darkness' question._

_Regina smiled when she snapped her fingers and Rogue saw how a swirl of black smoke surrounded him and he was lifted from Lisanna's torture machine. When the smoke finally disappeared, Rogue was laying on the floor in a different room. It was round chaped, and there was a long torch lit corridor behind him. In front of him there were stairs up onto a balcony where he saw a big white door. He also saw a silver haired man standing there looking at him with his dark blue eyes._

” _He still refuses to tell you the truth, doesn't he?” man asked from Lisanna and Regina who had appeared from a swirl of black smoke._

” _Even when I threatened to kill him, he still said no”, Lisanna said._

” _That means he knows something important”, silver haired man said._

_He teleported from the balcony in front of Rogue and then lifted his hand a bit. Rogue rose into the air and floated in front of him. Silver haired man looked into his eyes with his dark blue ones. Rogue tried to fight back but was already too weak._

_He could feel how this man invaded his mind with his dark magic._

_Rogue knew perfectly what he was looking for and couldn't stop him._

” _I see”, silver haired man said after he had found what he was looking for. ”It is as I thought.”_

” _What is it?” Regina asked._

” _The clone of Lucy Heartfilia had been searching for the missing parts of Lucy's soul. She gathered them all together so Lucy can be whole again. He doesn't know how she became a Seeress though, but I can imagine that the Goddess of Time has been keeping an eye on her the whole time”, man explained and then he turned his attention back to Rogue. ”This boy has been given a gift to use Shadow Dragon Slaying Magic. He's good use for us.”_

” _He's more worthy if he dies. It'll probably lure those idiots out from their hiding place”, Lisanna protested._

” _No, Lisanna, on this new timeline Rogue's fate is to become our ally – the great Summoner of Darkness.”_

” _No!” Rogue yelled and tried to get free. When the silver haired man mentioned the 'Summoner of Darkness', a new swirl of dark smoke appeared and covered Rogue up._

_His body absorbed every last bit of it because it made him feel better._

_Because it took all the pain away, made him stronger._

” _Pay the price”, darkness whispered to his ears in a seductive voice._

_Rogue wanted nothing else but to be free – he'd do all he could to get his freedom again. It didn't matter if he had to let the power of the True Darkness in._

_So he submitted to it._

_And he paid the price in the form of all of his memories from his previous life..._

As Natsu and others reached the cathedral, he noticed that the building had lost most of its roof. Wooden doors also laid on the ground and windows were all broken. As he looked inside, he noticed piles of crystal flake snow everywhere nearby the windows. Some piles where so big that the wooden church chairs were completely covered by it.

And on the other side of the cathedral, on the stone stairs sat Rogue, who did not look at them with a pleased look in his eyes. If anything, he looked pissed, even murderous – especially when he looked at Aurora. Theodore immediately went to stand in front of her while he drew out his sword.

”You did something to me that's making me weak”, Rogue said in a poisonous voice. ”You have made me lose the power I have, and you must be punished for it...”

”No, listen”, Aurora said and stepped out from behind her father. ”The magic I used on you is only going to cleanse your soul, Rogue. This isn't who you are.”

”I know perfectly well who I am, dumb girl, I don't need you to tell me that”, Rogue said while he rubbed his forehead.

Natsu could see black smoke coming out from his body as he did so.

”No, deep down inside you know I'm correct. The darkness that gives you all this power isn't yours. It was given to you by someone else”, Aurora went on. ”You know you did not want this power, but you had no choice but to take it because otherwise you would've died in their hands. It was _them_ who created you. You weren't born with this power.”

”Lies”, Rogue said even though he was rubbing his forehead even harder while Aurora had been speaking, and more black smoke rose from his body. ”You're lying, Seeress...”

”I'm not. I can see the past you gave up in exchange for this power. Allow me to cleanse your soul, Rogue”, Aurora said, and took a step towards him.

”NO!” Rogue said furiously. ”Take one more step and I will end your existence!”

”Aurora, it's no use, he wants to get his ass kicked first”, Sting said.

He stepped in front of Aurora, who looked disappointed at the turn of the events. ”Rogue, I don't want to fight you but I have no other choice.”

”Then you will die as well”, Rogue simply said as he stood up.

He snapped his fingers and a hole of darkness appeared into the space where cathedral's roof had once been. Then black smoke fell from the hole to the floor. It then materialized into a tall, black hooded creature that had a crystal sword in one hand. Natsu noticed that there was white smoke rising from the weapon.

”This is Shadow Omega”, Rogue introduced the creature, ”the strongest Soulless in my command. If you think you can defeat him, go ahead and try. Shadow Omega, destroy them!”

Shadow Omega howled as a answer, and attacked the group. He swung the sword towards Sting, who was the closest to him. Sting used one of his own attacks on him, but once the blinding light disappeared, Natsu noticed Sting was immobilized. He was covered in... ice?

”Oh, yes, I forgot to tell you that if you get hit by Shadow Omega's sword, you will be frozen until the Soulless is defeated”, Rogue said from the other side of the room.

He had a amused smirk on his face.

”Oh, this is going to be tricky”, Theodore mumbled. ”That creature can turn us into ice if his sword hits us...”

”Then we have to attack from all sides at the same time”, Erza said.

”Good idea. Let's do it”, Gray agreed as everyone else nodded.

”I'll attack first so it'll concentrate on me so you can sneak to other sides”, Erza added. ”And if I turn into ice, don't stop. This monster needs to be defeated at all costs.”

Natsu wanted to say something in protest, but stopped himself at the last second – Erza had made her decision, and it would be wiser for Natsu and everyone else to just respect it. So they just watched how the redhead took a step between Shadow Omega – who immediately noticed her – and Sting. Soulless howled menacingly and rose its sword into the air. Erza exquipped to her Adamantine Armor and was able to dodge the nasty, icy attack.

As Shadow Omega concentrated on Erza, Natsu and others quietly took their positions on different sides of the monster, and nodded quietly at one another as if to say they were ready.

Then they all attacked it together – Natsu with fire, Theodore with the wind, Gray with ice and Erza with lightning attacks. It had barely any effect on the Shadow Omega. If anything, it just became even more furious and began to swing his sword to all directions. Natsu and others tried to dodge all attacks as best as they could, but eventually Theodore got frozen by the icy sword.

”Looks like you're going down one by one”, Rogue said, sounding amused. ”You will be eternally frozen in this place if you lose this battle.”

 _That's out of the question,_ Natsu thought as he dodged yet another swing of Shadow Omega's icy sword.

”Rogue, please stop this nonsense and allow me to cleanse you”, Aurora said from the sidelines. ”This isn't the right way and deep down you know it!”

”I told you to be quiet, Seeress, otherwise you will die”, Rogue told her, looking at her menacingly.

”Aura, stay out of it!” Erza interrupted as Aurora was going to say something back at Rogue.

”But –”

”I know you want to help him, but it has to be done this way. Let us handle this, and stay safe”, redhead interrupted her again.

Aurora sighed in defeat, and moved away from the scene.

”Keep an eye on her, Happy”, Natsu said to the blue Exceed. ”She might still try something crazy. She is Lucy's ancestor after all...”

Happy nodded without saying a word and rose on his wings and flew after the young girl. Froche and Lector followed him.

Natsu turned his attention back to the ongoing battle and decided to try to hit Soulless' face. He used his fire breath on the monster when it turned his face on Natsu, but it had no effect. And Natsu soon noticed that it was a mistake as well, because as the smoke disappeared, it was too late to dodge the sword that came down on him. It touched him, and immobilized him – he was frozen. Unable to do anything else but to look at how the battle went on. His hearing began to weaken, and his consciousness began to drift away.

Then he fell uncouncious, and it was just him resting in the cold darkness.

********

 _And now Natsu's frozen too,_ Gray thought as he looked at Natsu's body turning into ice.

But now wasn't the time to be sad about that. Gray had to try to concentrate on beating this monster. It was was up to him and Erza to save everyone else from their icy prisons – he didn't count Aurora because he didn't think that she'd be strong enough to fight against it.

But it was easier said than done because Shadow Omega had proven to be stronger than they had thought it would be. There had to be a weakness of some kind but right now it seemed like it was resistant to everything the group had tried to throw at him.

”It's such a shame that Seeress Lucy isn't here”, Rogue said in a mocking tone. ”She would've been able to see Shadow Omega's weakness by now...”

”So the monster does have a weakness after all”, Erza said while panting. She was starting to lose her steam from all the exquipping she had been doing in a fast speed.

”Of course it does”, Rogue sneered. ”Everything and every human being has their own weakness. You just have to figure it out and use it to your advantage...”

 _Is it just me or did he just throw shade at Lucy? And Lisanna?_ Gray thought. _This guy is mocking them and us, but we can't kick his ass unless we defeat this monster first._

Then, suddenly, Gray was pushed to the side. He lost his balance and fell to the ground. As he looked up, he saw how Shadow Omega's sword became into contact with Erza's body. She wasn't fast enough to protect herself so she froze up immediately.

”Shit, not you too”, Gray said as he stood up again.

 _I'm alone against this monster now, how am I supposed to beat its ass alone? I don't even know what its weakness is... If I freeze up now, it's just Aurora and the Exceeds against Shadow Omega and Rogue. I can't lose!_ He thought as he glanced sideways to Aurora, who had a worried look on her face. The Exceeds' expressions weren't very confident either.

”Looks like it's just you now”, Rogue sneered. ”How are you going to win?”

”He will!” Aurora said.

Gray looked at her. She looked like she had realized something that Gray hadn't.

”Gray, there's a way to defeat this monster”, she said. ”You just have to do what Natsu did! Look at the cape, do you see it?”

Gray didn't know what she meant but looked at the monster again and noticed it – on the surface of its cape there was a very thin layer of ice on the spots that Gray had hit with his magic.

”Use your magic on its face, Gray!” Aurora hissed with a determined look on her face – she looked a lot like Lucy when she was sure that her idea would work. ”Trust me!”

Gray looked at the monster's hooded face and nodded. It was worth a try.

”Oh, better be careful with that”, Rogue said. ”You might end up like Natsu, Gray.”

”Shut up already, I'm gonna kick your ass next!” Gray said as he prepared an attack that he'd use on the monster.

Rogue laughed a bit mockingly but it didn't stop Gray – even though he did want to kick Rogue's ass more than ever now – he had to keep himself under control so he could save everyone else. He had a feeling that if he attacked Rogue now, Shadow Omega would destroy the ice statues and he didn't want that to happen.

So he just shot his ice daggers at Shadow Omega's face and took quick steps back from the monster in case it retaliated immediately like it had done in Natsu's case.

Daggers hit the monster.

But instead of retaliating, Soulless just bent backwards and howled in a voice that sounded painful.

 _Seriously? Ice is its weakness?_ Gray thought, amazed. He hadn't expected this at all. _Interesting._

”See? I knew it would work”, Aurora said in a voice full of pride.

”Yeah, yeah, Aura, now stay over there so I can kill this beast...” Gray said. ”No offence.”

Aurora mumbled something about ”ungratefulness” and shot a glare at the raven haired boy but didn't interfere any further.

Gray turned his attention back on the Soulless and prepared for another attack.

The attack had the same effect on the Soulless as the previous one, but Gray also noticed that it made the monster move slower as well. The layer of ice on its cape had gotten a little bit thicker. Was Gray's magic slowly freezing it up? He hoped so, because it would be easier to kill it if that happened.

Gray glanced at Rogue, who didn't look very confident anymore. In fact, he looked worried as he looked at the thickening layer of ice that covered the Soulless.

Gray grinned. ”Looks like you're in trouble soon, Rogue!”

Rogue shot him a death glare. ”We'll see about that. You haven't defeated Shadow Omega yet.”

As Gray kept attacking the Soulless with icy attacks, it's movements got slower, and the layer of ice that covered it got thicker. It was easier for Gray to dodge his attacks now. Shadow Omega tried to attack Gray again but ended up getting completely frozen in the middle of swinging his weapon because Gray was faster – he throw ice daggers into Soulless' face and that was it. Shadow Omega froze up on the spot and then a bright rays of light flew everywhere from its body as it broke into pieces that fell to the ground and mixed together with the crystal snow. And the statues of Theodore, Erza, Sting and Natsu defrozened.

”Whoa, we're free!” Sting said. ”Who killed the monster?”

”Thank me”, Gray said proudly.

”Good job, dude.”

”Now all we have left is the summoner himself”, Natsu said. ”And he doesn't look too happy about this, haha.”

He was right. Rogue had a murderous look in his eyes as he looked at the group.

”Looks like I have to end your existence myself then. I was hoping that Shadow Omega could wipe you out but I underestimated your power”, he said.

”Oh hell”, Sting said and shook his head. ”I feel like I have no strength left anymore. Why's that?”

”I don't know, Sting”, Natsu said. ”But I feel the same way.”

”It's because Shadow Omega was drawing your magic power out”, Rogue said and smiled mockingly. ”None of you are in a good shape to fight me now so I'll win easily.”

”No”, Aurora said, and she walked in front of the group. ”I will take care of you. Your walk in the darkness ends here, Rogue. I will make sure of it.”

”Aura –” Theodore began.

”No, father, I'm the only one who can stop this now”, Aurora interrupted him. ”This is my job – to guide the lost souls back to the light.”

Theodore tried to oppose the idea but ended up sighing in defeat and signaled everyone else to move out of the way. They followed him. For some reason they all knew that Aurora had to do this, and even though their logic was against the idea, it felt like they had all been taken over by another, more powerful force and it controlled their will.

********

When Aurora Heartfilia stepped into the battlefield, and Rogue looked into those dark blue eyes of hers, he could feel the power of the Seeress. It was piercing through into his soul. It was going to be a battle of the wills instead of magic – Aurora was trying to get through to his mind, while Rogue would resist it as well as he could.

 _I can't lose this battle or Master will be furious,_ Rogue thought.

Even just a thought of seeing the silver haired man furious only motivated him to resist the Seeress' power even harder.

_Few weeks ago, Place Where Forgotten Time Lies_

” _I don't understand how they can meddle with my plans so well!” silver haired man said furiously in the old strategy room that had always looked familiar to Rogue._

” _Everything that I've done to prepare my own plans has been either destroyed, changed or fixed. Soon I will have no chances at destroying that phony goddess...” man mumbled and threw the wine glass he had in his hand into the wall._

_Rogue didn't say anything to it. It wasn't his place to critisize this man or his plans. He was there only to serve him and to help him with that plan without any questions asked. Actually, Rogue didn't even know much about that said plan. He was only aware that his master wanted to kill a goddess who had taken everything away from him._

_This man is a complete mystery._

_Regina seems to be the only one who knows him, Rogue thought._

” _I have a task for you, Rogue”, silver haired man said suddenly._

” _Yes, Master?”_

” _I want you to go and kill those people. Spare only the Seeress and Theodore Darcas. Everybody else has to die so my plan can still be a success.”_

” _Why has the Seeress and her father be spared, Master?”_

” _Because they're Regina's family and also her biggest weakness. The goddess could use them against her so they must be on our side because then Regina will stay with us”, silver haired man explained._

” _I see. I shall do as you ask then, Master”, Rogue said. ”Is there anything else you want me to do?”_

” _Not at this time, Rogue. You are dismissed.”_

_Rogue bowed and left the room. He had no idea of where to find the group. The last time he had met them, Lucy Heartfilia had still been the Seeress – even though the darkness was already taking its place in her soul – but now he had no idea where they were._

_Not to mention the weird sensations that he still went through after seeing that weird Exceed in a frog costume. He was supposed to remember something regarding that creature but he didn't know what it was. The headaches were the result of that._

_It was a miracle that Rogue happened to meet the new Seeress – Aurora – and the rest of the group at the ruins of the Sky City Crocus. But he was in so much pain that fighting them was impossible. And during that moment of weakness Seeress Aurora used her magic on him that made him gradually lose the power he had._

_Silver haired man wasn't pleased when he returned to the base from a failed mission._

” _I will give you only one more chance to do what I asked. If you fail me this time, I will purge you from existence myself. Is that clear, Rogue?” he said, looking furious._

” _Yes, Master. I will not fail you this time”, Rogue said calmly even though deep inside him he did feel fear._

” _You better not. You are dismissed.”_

_Rogue bowed and left the room._

_This time he would succeed. No matter what. Otherwise he would die – and the Seeress would have to deal with the silver haired man instead of him. No, it'd be best if Rogue was their opponent instead._

”And there it is”, Aurora's voice said victoriously. ”The man behind the mystery...”

 _No way..._ Rogue thought as he was brought back to the reality from his memories. How had Aurora been able to do that? He had resisted as well as he could yet she still invaded his mind to find the information she needed! This Seeress was stronger than Lucy had ever been, that was obvious now.

”You invaded my memories!” Rogue just said, feeling like he should kill this girl on the spot.

”Yes”, Aurora said calmly. ”I wanted to find answers to my questions. And because you are weaker now, it was easy to break through.”

”I should kill you for this right now”, Rogue threatened. ”But, that's not what _he_ wants so my hands are tied here. Maybe I'll just torture one of your companions instead?”

”Oh, you're not going to meet your Master today, Rogue. What I have done to your mind will only go further and gradually you will be cleansed. Eventually he will also notice that you're not under his control anymore and you will have to run. It'd be better if you just allow me to finish the cleansing of your soul so you can return to where you belong”, Aurora said calmly.

 _The nerve of this little girl! How dare she talk to me like this? I just threatened his companions and she's still calm about it, that's not how you're supposed to react to it..._ Rogue thought furiously. It annoyed him that this girl was Regina's daughter, otherwise he would slice her throat open for being so annoying.

But he had to admit that her offer was very tempting.

Rogue knew he was going to die if he didn't succeed in the mission that his Master had given him. Not to mention the fact that she was right – Rogue was weak now. He had never been so weak after summoning one of his Soulless on a battlefield. Ever since he and Aurora had met, the darkness had been leaving his body. It was only a matter of time when his Master would notice it, too. And then, Rogue would be in deep trouble.

But at the same time he didn't want to betray the silver haired man either.

”No, I will not submit to you, Seeress, no matter how tempting your offer is. I'd rather die”, Rogue said.

”Then you leave me no other choice”, Aurora just said.

And her eyes began to shine in a golden light as the surrounding areas were all covered by light. It was blinding, yet so warm. In the middle of that light storm stood Seeress Aurora holding that weird green Exceed in her hands.

And then the place was covered in thick darkness that covered the light. The only thing that shone brightly in the middle of it was the green Exceed.

Once Rogue took a step towards it, he felt something crack inside his head, and it was soon followed by the familiar pain.

 _Yes, I remember this pain,_ Rogue thought as the images began to fly through his mind.

_It was the pain that was cured by the darkness... But I had to pay the price by giving up my memories..._

He didn't know why, but he kept walking towards the Exceed, and with every step his pain became worse and worse.

 _I got this pain because I was tortured by Lisanna. She tortured me because Regina wanted to know information regarding Lucy Heartfilia,_ Rogue remembered. _They wanted to know how Lucy had gotten the power of a Seeress..._

Few more steps, and more memories flew into his head. A burning city, the Soulless everywhere, and Lisanna with her Javelins fighting with a redhead – Erza Scarlet.

_That was when I was kidnapped by Lisanna, and I spent time in a cell of Regina's flying fortress until Horologium Saeculum was activated..._

He reached out his hand, and even though the pain was now so strong that he could pass out at any moment, he didn't stop. He couldn't.

 _I want out of this darkness... That light... it's so warm..._ he thought as he finally reached the Exceed.

”Froche...”

And then he fell on his knees while holding his friend's paw.

The light flashed again.

********

Natsu had to cover his eyes from the blinding light that had taken over the cathedral. Then, suddenly, it had turned into a thick layer of darkness where the only source of light was the shining body of Aurora Heartfilia, who was holding Froche in her hands. Natsu couldn't see Rogue anywhere until the golden light had flashed once again.

Rogue was holding Froche's paw while he was on his knees on the floor.

Dark smoke was rising from his body, and Natsu was sure he heard a really creepy hissing sound coming from that smoke as well.

”Damn, he doesn't look good”, Sting said, looking worried.

”Stay there, Sting”, Aurora said gently.

She turned her attention back to Rogue and she got on her knees as well. She let Froche go – he went to Rogue's side immediately – and put her hands on the sides of his head.

Natsu noticed that Rogue had tears in his eyes and a look of immense pain on his face.  
”Become my Warrior, Rogue Cheney, and allow the grace of Goddess Sapientia mend what is broken”, Aurora spoke gently.

”Will this pain leave me...?” Rogue asked. He's voice was barely a whisper.

”Yes, the grace of my goddess will heal all the wounds that the darkness has left on you. You will be whole once more.”

Rogue fell silent for a moment, and it seemed like he was going to decline her offer at first but then he whispered, ”I'll be your Warrior, Seeress...”

As he said those words, a new ray of light appeared but this one came from the outside of the cathedral. It engulfed everything in its calming sensation, which also made Natsu and others feel calm and refreshed. As the light touched Rogue, however, every last bit of the evil darkness rose from his body and disappeared into the air.

And Rogue and Aurora just stayed there looking into each other's eyes quietly.

” _You have my blessing, Rogue Cheney. Walk tall, my child”,_ Sapientia's voice whispered in the cathedral as the light began to fade away.

”Thank you, goddess”, Rogue whispered.

Aurora let him go and as she turned around, her face was as red as a tomato.

”Ohhh, I see somethin' here...” Happy started in his usual 'let's-tease-lucy-voice'.

”Shut it!” Aurora said and went to his father.

”Haha, she's just like Luce!”

”Yo, Rogue!” Sting said, and walked over to his friend who was now holding Froche close to him. ”How did you become evil and all that?”

”He was kidnapped by Lisanna in Crocus before Regina activated Horologium Saeculum”, Erza answered when Rogue didn't.

”Really?” Sting asked. ”Why didn't you stop it from happening?”

”It came out of nowhere, Sting. I didn't know she was after him until she made her move. I'm sorry.”

”Don't blame her, Sting. I should've been more careful myself”, Rogue said as he stood up. ”They tortured me later after Lucy had done something that enraged Regina. What was it?”

”Lucy had been branded by Sae, and the brand on her arm protected her from Regina”, Natsu explained. ”Or that's how I remember it. Lucy could explain all of it so much better.”

”How did you forget everything, Rogue?” Sting asked.

”After I had been tortured enough, I was on the verge of dying, Sting. Regina took me to this man whose name I never found out, and I made a deal with him to save myself”, as Rogue spoke, his voice became quieter.

”You exchanged your memories for the power of darkness”, Theodore said, looking sympathetic.

Rogue nodded. ”I was going to die in their hands otherwise.”

”It's fine, mate”, Sting said, ”You're back with the right team now!”

”Just like old times, huh?”

”Yep, just like old times, buddy.”

”Rogue, we need to get to where Regina and Lucy went to. Can you help us get there?” Erza interrupted.

”You want to use the door to Dimensions Beyond, too?” Rogue asked.

”Yes”, Natsu said. ”We angered that crazy goddess in Caelum so we gotta get out of here.”

”How insane is that goddess, exactly?”

”So insane that she wanted to execute Lucy in front of everyone for betraying her.”

”That's odd. Lucy probably found something that the goddess was hiding in that illusionary palace of hers and wanted to get rid of her”, Rogue said.

”Lucy didn't tell us much. Just told us to get out so we did”, Gray said. ”We have no idea of what really happened. Maybe she'll tell us when we meet her?”

”I'm sure she will”, Natsu said. ”So, Rogue, will you help us?”

”Yes, I will”, Rogue answered, although he looked a bit hesitant for a moment. ”But we need to take a different route than the one I used before.”

”What does that mean?”

”It means that the main route is heavily guarded because they know you're chasing them and the insane goddess may keep an eye on you”, Rogue explained. ”We will go through the portal to the Dark World.”

”Sounds sinister”, Happy commented.

”Yes, it's a world that was lost into darkness centuries ago. It's the only way to get to the Place Where Forgotten Time Lies”, Rogue said and snapped his fingers. A swirl of black smoke appeared, and formed a black portal.

”Are you ready to go? Because once we go in, we can't go back”, he said.

”Yes”, Aurora said. ”I want to see mother again...” she added quietly and stepped into the portal.

Theodore followed her, and then everyone else.

When Natsu was entering the portal, he had a weird feeling that someone was watching them and turned around. There he was. A man with a silver hair, and a intent look in his eyes. He didn't do anything. He just stood there in the shadows watching.

Natsu turned his back on him. Something told him that he shouldn't challenge this man to a fight. That he'd be too dangerous, and too powerful.

So Natsu stepped into the dark hole instead, and the portal closed immediately after him.


	34. A Lonely Seer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I'm back here with a new chapter for this story. :) I hope everyone had a relaxing holidays despite the pandemic going on and got nice gifts from friends, family and significant others. Let's hope 2021 will be kind to us unlike the superboss known as 2020. I've never seen a crazier year in my life so far. 
> 
> Well anyways, here's the new chapter for Shattered that also made me wonder whether or not should I do a sequel for this, and even after I finished the story 3 years ago, I'm still wondering if I should go for it or not, lol.
> 
> Happy reading! ♥

_Year: ???  
_ _Place Where Forgotten Time Lies_

When Lucy came out from the swirl of darkness, she was still angry at Sae for betraying her, for using her for her evil plans. Lucy was also sad for how she had spoken to Natsu before leaving Caelum. It was so uncharacteristic for her to talk like that to a man she loved so much. It must have been the darkness inside her that had made her behave like that. If she had been ”normal”, she wouldn't have spoken to him in such a manner.

 _Maybe we can still be together,_ Lucy thought hopefully, even though somewhere really deep inside she was sure that she might lose him forever now. Natsu wouldn't want to be with someone who had fallen into darkness, right?

”Follow me, Lucy. I have a task for you”, Regina said as she opened the huge double door to a castle. Lucy quietly followed her in. She looked around in the dark throne room, and wondered why it looked so familiar. It was like as if she had been there before.

”Where are we?” she asked curiously.

”We're in my flying fortress, or should I say, Zephyrus palace, Lucy”, Regina answered.

”Why is it here?” Lucy asked as she remembered how she and Regina had come here after the dark haired woman had come out from Lucy's soul in 791X and dragged the blonde with her into a swirl of black smoke.

”This place is where the Horologium Saeculum sends the pieces of a timeline it changes. My spell sent Crocus and my floating fortress here, which is unfortunate.”

”Oh, I see”, Lucy said. Then she sighed. ”This is actually quite awkward that we're working together on... whatever it is that you want me to work on, because you've tried to kill me at least once”, she added.

Regina turned around to look at her. ”Yes, you aren't wrong about that, Lucy. I tried to put an end to you simply because you were a tool of Chaos. The mark on your shoulder is not a blessing from the Goddess of Time”, she explained.

”Who is it from then?” Lucy asked, confused.

”Her name is Kaos. She's a goddess with the power of Chaos. She always meddles with things by marking someone as the Messenger of Chaos.”

”What?” Lucy was shocked. ”But she said –”

”Yes, she told you you were doing things for the greater good if you do as she says, right?” Regina interrupted. ”That's how she works. She manipulates the one she chooses, and tells them it's all for the good when in reality everything that the Messenger of Chaos does destroys the timeline's strategic events up to a point where it begins to shatter into pieces.”

Lucy sighed. It was true then. She had been the bad guy the whole time, and the bad guys had been the good guys. ”I'm so sorry, Regina...” she whispered, feeling so much guilt and regret over everything that it felt like she was going to explode.

”Don't apologize, Lucy. You just didn't know what she was really doing. I know you would've denied all of her requests if you had known”, Regina said. ”I'm way more angry at her, not you.”

”That's so uncharacteristic for you”, Lucy said, amazed. ”Being forgiving, I mean”, she added when Regina raised her eyebrow at her quizzically.

”I have my moments, Lucy”, Regina just said and smiled. ”Come on, I want to show you your task”, she added as she walked through the throne room to the other side of the room.

”How can I get rid of this mark? And more importantly, can she see us?” Lucy asked as she followed her. She definitely wasn't ready to confront that woman again anytime soon.

”I don't know how to get rid of the mark, Lucy. As for your other question, I don't think she can see us right now”, Regina answered.

”So you finally succeeded at making her work with us, Regina?” said a voice from the shadows, and a swirl of silver smoke appeared, revealing a man with silver hair, dark blue eyes and a grin on his face.

”She did it willingly”, Regina said calmly. ”She just had to see the true face of the so called Goddess of Time.”

 _This guy is an ally? I have never seen him before. I wonder what his name is,_ Lucy thought, feeling shocked at the sight of this man.

”Excellent”, silver-haired man said. ”I always knew it would happen sooner or later. That goddess is known for doing mistakes no matter how smart she thinks she is.”

 _Wait a minute, his voice sounds quite familiar now that I think about it,_ Lucy thought. ”Who are you? You sound so familiar...”

”I was the one who told you to not to free Seeress Serena just yet as it really is my job to do so”, man simply said.

”Oh, alright”, Lucy agreed. She couldn't quite understand why, but she had already had a hunch that this man was the one who had spoken to her earlier. But who exactly was he, and how was he connected to Serena? Lucy couldn't understand it at all. She decided to ask him about it later.

”Okay, so, what do you want me to do?” Lucy asked.

”We want you to open the door to Dimensions Beyond so we can escape the End of Days that's about to fall upon this timeline, Lucy. If you're able to open the door, we'll save ourselves”, Regina said. ”And don't worry about your friends, I'm sure they're on their way here as we speak. After all, they tend to find their way to my hiding places without even trying...” she looked a bit annoyed by that fact.

”Will you open the door, Lucy?” silver haired man asked.

”Yes, I can give it a try. I really don't want to live in a world where _she_ is the ruler...” Lucy said.

”I knew you'd say that. Regina, show her the door so she can start working on it.”

”Come on, Lucy. This way”, Regina said and walked behind the throne.

Lucy followed her feeling curious. Regina snapped her fingers and a door appeared in front of them. She pushed it open. Lucy walked in first. It was a huge round shaped hall where there was just one ray of light brought in a little bit of light from the hole in the roof. In the middle of the light there was a big white stone door.

”This is the door to the Dimensions Beyond”, Regina said as she walked to it and turned around to look at Lucy.

”And you want me to open it somehow?” Lucy asked.

Regina nodded. ”We do not know how to do it ourselves, but we thought that since you were supposed to be the Seeress of Guidance on this timeline, you might know the way.”

”Seeress of Guidance?” Lucy asked, confused.

”That man you just met told me that you had a path of guiding ahead of you before Kaos meddled in, Lucy. He travels through time a lot on his search for answers and he found a piece of a timeline where you were marked as a Seeress who guided people on the right path. He believed, that you might still possess this power even if you were never marked”, Regina explained.

”And if it turns out that I can't open the door?” Lucy asked.

”Then we will have to find a way to defeat the goddess head on, Lucy”, Regina simply said. ”It won't be easy, but it has been tried before and they almost succeeded.”

”I will try my best with this door, Regina. You can trust me on this one”, Lucy told her.

”I do, Lucy. I believe the Master is correct about your power”, Regina said as she exited the room.

Lucy sighed. This had to be the most challenging task she had ever been given. And the failure would have terrible consequences so the pressure was piling up on her.

She couldn't afford to fail on this. Not this time!

*********

The world where Natsu and the others arrived was exactly what a ”lost dark world” would look like – all the trees and plants were dead around the Time Gate and the same dead scenery kept going as far as his eyes could reach. There were also piles of rubble of houses everywhere he looked at. It was evident that something disasterous had happened there at some point.

”Holy hell, I didn't expect this place to look like this”, Sting said, looking around.

”I wonder what happened here”, Theodore said while rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

”I don't know all the details, but I'm 99% sure that the goddess you escaped from is the one who caused this”, Rogue told them.

”What do you mean?” Erza and Aurora asked in unison.

”The goddess known as Sae isn't exactly the one she says she is”, Rogue explained. ”I don't know what her real name is but from what I have seen in this world while doing my research, I'd say that the real Sae wouldn't have done anything like this to anybody.”

”Sounds complicated”, Natsu said, feeling a headache kick in as he tried to process what he had just heard.

”Let's go”, Rogue said. ”I'll give you all the details I've collected while we walk to the doorway to Regina's palace. And be careful. This place is very dangerous.”

Everyone nodded, and they followed him past the piles of rubble, while they walked on a road that was mostly taken over by the dead plants.

”This world seems to have been quite advanced”, Theodore pointed out as they walked through a destroyed train station. An abandoned train still stood on the rails that were going towards dark ruins of a city further away.

”Yes, that's correct”, Rogue said. ”This world was just as advanced as ours was in 1300X. However, they never had sky cities like we did.”

”How did this one get destroyed?” Lector asked.

”Their system had a huge flaw in it. A goddess lead this civilization and this leader wasn't much of a fan of giving citizens the freedom they deserved. She punished them for rebelling against her brutally”, Rogue explained. ”I found texts that said she was known as the 'Goddess of Chaos'.”

”That doesn't sound good at all”, Natsu pointed out.

”I found an old newspaper here that said the goddess had chosen a Messenger of Chaos to fix some of the problems within the society. This chosen one would be her eyes and ears in the world and they would help the citizens”, Rogue continued. ”Newspaper said that the Messenger was here to do things 'for the greater good'.”

”That doesn't sound very good”, Aurora said.  
”It certainly doesn't”, Rogue agreed. ”But the citizens believed that things will change for the better now so they began to let the Messenger know what was wrong – they all ended up getting arrested instead.”

”So instead of fixing the problems, the Messenger brought more pain and suffering to the people?” Erza asked, as they walked past an empty fountain of a central park of some sort. The statue in the middle was broken into pieces on the bottom of the pool.

”Eventually”, Rogue said, ”A civil war broke out between the supporters of the goddess and the opposers of the goddess.”

”Of course”, Aurora sighed. ”That was the whole point when she chose the Messenger of Chaos, isn't it?”

”I'm afraid so.”

”Wait”, Aurora said, and stopped walking. ”Then the Mark on Lucy's shoulder –”

”It's the Mark of the Messenger of Chaos. Lucy is the one who brought all the chaos to our timeline without even knowing what she was doing”, Rogue confirmed.

Natsu was shocked. He couldn't believe that Lucy's 'fight for the good' had actually been the exact opposite. ”So the goddess who marked Luce is actually the Goddess of Chaos?” he asked.

Rogue nodded. ”She certainly does not look like the Goddess of Chaos, but it's true. That Mark on Lucy's shoulder alone confirms it, Natsu.”

Natsu couldn't do anything else but to sigh. _Poor Luce, now I know exactly why she has succumbed to darkness. She probably found out the truth by accident and felt betrayed by the goddess..._ he thought.

”Sapientia must've known who that goddess in Caelum really is”, Aurora said, looking thoughtful. ”She wouldn't have marked me as her Seeress for any other reason. She ordered me to do research around the palace and that she would hide me from Sae's sight so I did what she asked...” She was pale.

”Wait a minute”, Sting suddenly said. ”What about our favorite Queen of Darkness Regina?”

”What about her?” Natsu asked.

”She tried to kill Lucy in Crocus 794X, remember? She had just noticed the Mark on Lucy's shoulder and decided to end her existence right then but you saved her life, Natsu.”

Natsu nodded and shivered. He really didn't want to remember the day when he almost lost his beautiful Luce forever. He could never forget the scream of horror that came out of Lucy's throat, not his own heartbeat slamming through his chest, nothing. He had almost lost her. How could he ever forget such a moment?

”Regina said something about Lucy being protected by the Goddess of Time, and then decided she has no use for her as the Warrior of Darkness and threw her out”, Natsu said.

”She looked defeated for a moment there too”, Sting told him. ”So I strongly believe that Regina already knew what the Mark meant.”

”Regina knows a lot of things”, Rogue agreed.

”What's that ravine over there?” Aurora asked, and pointed towards the darkened city next to a dark sea. Ravine was located right in the middle of it, and it had been filled with water as time went by.

”A war between the Light and Chaos”, Rogue answered calmly.

”You mean...?”

”The Goddess of Chaos and the Gods of Time fought in this world. I believe the real Sae was involved as well, but was killed.”

”You're not sure about that though”, Gray pointed out.

”I haven't found evidence to support my theory yet. I was close but then Nora appeared from a swirl of golden smoke and tried to kill me so I had to leave this place fast”, Rogue explained. ”Then Regina summoned me to do a task for her.”

”Should we look for those answers?” Erza asked, trying hard to hide her curiousity.

”No, we have to hurry to Regina's palace. That goddess might send more minions after me if she notices that I'm here again.”

”Let's move on then”, Natsu said.

Everyone nodded and began to walk towards the dark city ruins far away.

They didn't notice a figure of a man emerged from the shadows nearby – he was chasing them down to give them a piece of his mind because they had helped the goddess to bring more destruction to the unstable timeline.

Silver-haired man grinned – he truly loved to play these games with his opponents...

*********

”Tell me about that silver-haired man, Rogue”, Aurora said when the group finally stopped for a break after they had walked towards the dark city ruins in the distance.

Natsu was on watch while everyone else sat down on stones on the side of the road. He kept looking around for possible danger as they had already encountered some really nasty monsters on their way. They had been really strong and feisty but the group had defeated them eventually. Now it had begun to get to them as they had began to feel weak so a rest was very much needed.

”Sure, Aura, what do you want to know?” Rogue asked.

”Who is he?” Aurora said immediately as she sat next to him.

”I don't know his name. He never told me that. He just wanted me to call him 'Master'.”

”What is he up to? It has to be something big if he ordered you to explore this place for him”, Aurora continued with her list of questions.

”I'm not sure but I believe that the goddess has something or someone that he wants”, Rogue answered. ”He was planning to go to Caelum to get this 'something' but then Lucy began to change the timeline so his plans were ruined.”

Aurora looked thoughtful for a moment, and then she said, ”I must meet this man and talk to him face to face.”

”No, Aura”, Theodore said sharply, looking shocked.

”I have a hunch about this man, father. I need his memories to get proof for my theory”, Aurora told him calmly. ”If my theory is correct, he wouldn't hurt me at all.”

”What do you need his memories for?” Gray asked curiously.

”So I can get the answers I need of course”, Aurora said and smiled.

”He's a very dangerous man, Aura”, Rogue said. ”He's powerful and he has a huge Soulless Army in his command. You have to be careful around him.”

”I'm sure you'll gladly protect me if it's needed, my Warrior”, Aurora said and used her ”million little suns” smile on him that seemed to make men weak immediately.

”Yes, Seeress”, Rogue agreed.

”Wait a minute, there's something going on here”, Sting said, rubbing his chin while he grinned. ”Rogue, you sly fox, when did you seduce the princess of Reana?”

”Shut it, Sting!” Rogue yelled, although his cheeks had a hint of pink on them.

”They liiiiiiiiike each other!” Happy yelled.

Aurora and Rogue blushed even more.

”We are going to talk about this, Aura”, Theodore said serious look on his face.

”Yes, father... Although I doubt I'll do anything stupid. I'm a smart girl”, Aurora told him.

”I know, honey, but I'm your father. It's my job to worry about these type of things.”

”Nah, you don't need to worry about Rogue, Theo. He's a total gentleman with the ladies”, Sting said. ”He'll keep the princess safe from anything.”

”As much as I would like to listen to this debate, I think we should concentrate on our task at hand”, Erza informed them. She was looking around cautiously. ”I think someone's following us in the shadows...”

Natsu sniffed the air but didn't smell anything different. ”Are you sure, Erza?”

”I am, Natsu, don't question me.”

”Ooops, sorry...” Natsu said as Erza glared at him in a familiar way that usually meant that he was going to get his ass kicked by the fierce redhead if he annoyed her any further.

”How far are we from that door, Rogue?” Sting asked from his friend.

”Not too far. It's located at a church in that dark city”, he answered.

”I say we keep on going, but be on guard”, Theodore said as he drew out his sword. ”We can't take any chances at getting ambushed at this point anymore.”

”You're right”, Gray agreed. ”Maybe, if we're quick enough, we can escape from that stalker by going through the door?”

”If the stalker isn't my Master, then we will escape, but if it is him instead, he will follow us to Regina's palace because he's her ally”, Rogue said calmly.

”Well damn, this is gonna be annoying”, Gray commented as they began to walk again.

As they got closer to the city ruins, they were able to see how destroyed it truly was – the highway they were walking on had cracks on it, and there was a long line of abandoned cars that were going outside the city. Some of the cars were burnt to the ground while others had their doors open and they obviously looted by other people. It was obvious that the citizens in the city had tried to escape the war that was raging on its streets.

”I can sense it now”, Aurora said quietly as they walked over a huge rusty sign that had probably once had city's name on it. ”It's the same ancient dark magic that I sensed in Rogue's body before...”

”It's him”, Rogue said and sighed. ”I was hoping it wouldn't be him, but since he is, we need to be extra careful. He will attack us sooner or later.”

Everyone nodded as they kept walking into the city. Natsu was amazed at the size of the buildings. They were taller than anything he had seen in his life. Many of their windows were broken, and some of the buildings had collapsed as time went on. Streets were covered in cracks, rubble, dust and the dead leaves and there was abandoned cars everywhere Natsu looked at.

”Wait, what's this?” Theodore suddenly said as he looked at the wall of one of the buildings. He kneeled and brushed off a bit of dust off the wall and a painted text appeared on it.

”'I Stand With The Saviour'?” Gray read. ”What does that mean?”

”I don't know, Gray. It confuses me a lot too. Actually, I was looking for information regarding this when Nora appeared with an intent of killing me”, Rogue said.

”That goddess didn't want you to find out what this Saviour thing means, apparently”, Erza said, thoughtfully.

”This isn't the only place where you can find this message”, Rogue continued. ”It's written on the walls everywhere here. It can be found even in some of the old newspapers, too, but like I said, I wasn't able to find out any other info.”

”Hmm...” Aurora said, furrowing her eyebrows. ”Maybe the Saviour was a leader of the rebellion in the civil war?” she asked.

”That makes sense, Aura. It never came to my mind when I was here”, Rogue said.

 _Those two are looking into each other's eyes and blushing again. Maybe they should just kiss,_ Natsu found himself thinking as he looked at the two who were, indeed, looking at each other's eyes intensively and blushing softly.

”We should keep moving”, Sting said suddenly. ”I can smell the guy who's following us and he's pretty close to us right now.”

”We have to take him on”, Aurora said. ”It's the only way to stop him from following us.”

”Aura, that's too dangerous”, Theodore said. ”I don't want you to get hurt.”

”I agree with Theodore here”, Rogue said calmly. ”You're being reckless, Aura. I know you want to do your duty as the Seeress well but this man is someone you shouldn't mess with.”

”Maybe we should just ignore the man and go through the door”, Erza said thoughtfully. ”I don't think fighting him would be a good idea either.”

”No, we must confront him”, Aurora said firmly.

”What haven't you told us, Aura?” Theodore asked, suspiciously. ”Don't play these games with me. Your mother did it too so I know when it happens. The truth, please.”

Aurora sighed. ”Sapientia informed me that she needs his memories that will give answers to her questions. We must confront him so I can use my power on him to find the answer for her.”

”I knew it”, Theodore said, frustrated. ”She's putting you in harm's way constantly and as a father, I don't like that at all. Maybe I should have a talk with Sapientia about this...”

”Good luck, father”, Aurora teased. ”But I'm still going to do my duty as the Seeress.”

Theodore sighed. ”I know you will. You're just as stubborn about your duties as your mother was when I met her.”

”Don't worry about me, father. I'll be ok”, Aurora smiled. ”Trust me”, she added and hugged him tightly. Theodore returned the hug.

”Let's go to the centre of this city”, Aurora said loudly after letting go of him.

” _Central Park it is then, young Seeress. We shall meet there”,_ echoed a male voice in the city as the answer right after.

”That's him”, Rogue said. ”I suggest we all prepare for a tough battle.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. The voice of the silver haired man had given chills to them all for some reason, and Natsu really hated to admit it.

*********

As they got closer to the Central Park, they began to see more and more destroyed areas. Even the roads were partly or completely collapsed – either during the civil war or as time went by. Natsu also saw a lot of huge areas where everything had burnt down and dead trees laying on the ground on the both sides of the roads. There were more abandoned cars on the streets and some even laid on the side next to the road.

The park itself looked like it had been a very cozy place once – there was a fountain in the middle of the round shaped area. It was surrounded by dead bushes and another statue laid on the ground next to it. There were also four different exits from the park to different areas of the city but most of them were covered in dust and rubble.

”Whoa, shit! Guys, you gotta be careful when you walk here, I almost fell into the lake!” Gray said from the other side of the park. Natsu looked over there and noticed that one of the exits from the park ended suddenly into a lake in the middle of the city. It was a wide one that almost divided the whole place into two areas. Natsu was able to see that the buildings on the other side of it had been vertically tilted to a position where they looked like they were about to fall into the lake.

”Damn, that's bigger than I thought”, Happy said, looking amazed.

”Do you enjoy looking at the destruction that the Goddess of Chaos brings upon the world?” said a amused male voice from behind them.

Natsu and others turned around at once, and saw a very amused looking silver haired, dark blue eyed man looking at them as if they were just entertainment to him.

”What do you mean?” Theodore asked.

Silver haired man smiled. ”She's getting ready to re-enter our timeline, and she will bring all the Chaos with her as she does, Theodore.”

”How do you know my name? Who are you?”

”Rogue was a very good source for all information before he decided to betray me”, silver haired man said and his eyes flashed as he looked at the Shadow Dragon Slayer angrily. It was evident that he was more dangerous than he looked.

”And what is your name?” Aurora asked calmly.

”Haven't you spent enough time in Caelum to figure out my true identity, young Seeress?” silver haired man asked her.

Aurora looked confused, which made the man chuckle.

”Oh, I see”, he said. ”The goddess has made sure that nobody will remember my existence...”

”What the hell is he talking about? This is getting too confusing even for me now...” Sting mumbled.

” _Why is this guy talking to us like this? He's like Lisanna who played her stupid games on us all the freakin' time!”_ Natsu thought, feeling annoyed. ”I'm gonna kick your ass for annoying me, Silver Dude, bring it!” he told the man. He hated the mind games. He was so tired of those already!

”Are you sure, Dragneel?” silver haired man asked. ”You might get killed.”

”You're messing with our heads so I wanna kick your ass! I'm so fired up now!”

Silver haired man smiled. ”As you wish, Natsu Dragneel. It'll be a fight you'll never forget.”

”Bring it on!” Natsu said as he stepped forward.

”We'll join you. This guy is annoying”, Gray said following him along with Erza and Sting.

”Yeah, this guy is stronger than you think, Natsu”, Sting said.

”Wonderful”, silver haired man said as a dark aura began to surround him. ”The more the merrier.”

He snapped his fingers, and to everybody's surprise he began to multiply rapidly everywhere in the park.

”Guess which one's the real one”, they said in unison and grinned.

”More mind games!?” Natsu yelled. ”I'm so done with this shit right now!”

”Just wipe them all out!” Gray told him as he used his Ice Hammer on a group of replicas.

Natsu followed his example and used Fire Dragon's Breath on them.

And so the battle went on – however, it was soon evident that no matter how many replicas Natsu and others destroyed, they were replaced by new replicas just as fast. It was evident that the silver haired man was just playing with them, and not seriously fighting. He was just trying to exhaust them and then do what? Make his Soulless Army eat their souls? Natsu got chills from even thinking about that possibility. It was just too creepy.

”Crap, I didn't expect these to multiply like this”, Gray said next to Natsu.

”How can we do it? These respawn as fast as we destroy them”, Theodore said. He was already panting and sweating hard as he swung his sword into a replica's head. Replica exploded – and then got replaced by a new one at once.

”I have no idea!” Gray said. ”Combine all of our powers and wish for the enemy to get knocked out?”

”Nah, that's not a good idea, we might kill ourselves, too”, Rogue informed him.

”Stop playing games already!” Happy, who was flying in the air, yelled at the silver haired man.

He just laughed, and so did his replicas.

”So creepy!” Happy said and shivered.

”This is getting hopeless”, Gray said panting. He fell on his knees. ”I've used too much magic...”

”Shit! Happy, take Gray away!” Natsu yelled.

”Aye sir!” said the blue feline and flew down from the sky. He grabbed Gray and carried him to the side of the battlefield where Aurora was standing. Theodore was also going that way as he didn't look like he had any strength left in himself either.

Natsu turned his attention back on the battle and punched one of the replicas. It disappeared and reappeared – and was he annoyed by it? Very much.

 _How are we supposed to know which one is the real one if the replicas keep copying his face expressions?_ Natsu thought as he punched another one into its grinning face. And again, it disappeared and reappeared.

”Aura, don't do it!” yelled Theodore suddenly.

Everyone – the group and the replicas alike – turned to look at Aurora, who was walking towards the group with a determined look in her eyes that had small symbols in them now.

”This has to be done, father. Stand back”, Aurora just calmly said. She raised her hands in front of her, and a bright flash of light flashed in the area, purging all of the replicas.

Then Aurora turned her attention on the silver haired man, who wasn't even harmed from the attack. He just looked at her with a amused and somewhat interested look in his eyes.

”Let me See”, Aurora told him.

”What will I get in exchange if I allow you to enter my memories, Aurora?” silver haired man asked. ”And most importantly, are you sure you want to see my memories?”

”I am 100% sure that I want to See your memories”, Aurora told him, sounding so much like Regina that Natsu began to wonder if the girl was possessed by her mother.

”What would be my reward if I allow you to enter?” silver haired man repeated.

”It depends on what your memories reveals.”

”This doesn't sound like a deal I can agree on, young Seeress.”

”Well, isn't that sad then?” Aurora just calmly said and snapped her fingers. A dome made of golden light appeared over everyone.

”What are you doing?” silver haired man demanded to know, now cautious over what Aurora was going to do next.

”I want my answers”, Aurora calmly said as she locked her eyes with his.

Silver haired man was paralyzed on the spot and he couldn't do anything but to look into Aurora's eyes.

The dome's walls began to vibrate and slowly, a series of events appeared on the wall. In many of them the silver haired man was with a beautiful blonde haired, brown eyed woman. They were both smiling to each other a lot. Then memories went on a little bit faster and the atmosphere began to change as the world in the scenes was in flames, houses were in rubble and everyone was fighting on the streets of Caelum. In the last scene silver haired man was holding the blonde woman in his arms in the middle of the ruined city. He was crying as the goddess appeared before him and began to mock him before she ordered her guards to take him to the prison – he went willingly.

Aurora was shocked when she snapped her fingers to make the dome disappear. She turned to look at the silver haired man. ”You're –”

Silver haired man grinned. ”The great Seer of Darkness Nox, at your service”, he said and bowed to her.

”She said the Seer of Darkness was the traitor who betrayed the whole society!” Aurora said, still in utter shock.

”Of course she does, she hated the Zephyrians since day one because we didn't succumb to her demands, and eventually we found out that she wasn't really who she said she was”, Nox said. ”So she told everyone to not to trust the 'evil Zephyrians who are born in the darkness'.”

”Zephyrus?” Theodore asked.

”Oh yes, Theodore, I lived in Zephyrus a very long time ago. Long before you were even born. But that's a story for another time – you're still standing. I must summon my Soulless here to take care of you now”, Nox said and raised his hand.

”WAIT!” Aurora said. ”Why are you wasting all of your time and energy on playing around here when you should be saving the one who matters to you most? Why is _she_ still held captive in Caelum and you're here?”

Nox furrowed his eyebrows, and then sadness overtook his anger. He put his hand down.

”You don't know how to sneak into Caelum, right? I have all the information you need. In exchange of the info you just gave me, I will help you in return”, Aurora said gently.

”I will think about your offer”, Nox just said and disappeared into a swirl of black smoke.

”Really?” Sting started. ”That's all? I thought we were gonna get to kick more ass!”

”No, Sting. The battle went exactly according to my plan to get the information I needed”, Aurora told him. ”This man is more of an ally than you think he is. He just needed a reminder of what he really should be doing instead of revenging things that don't matter at this point.”

”But he was so annoying, Aura...” Sting tried.

Aurora shook her head. ”He's just a sad and lonely Seer who has lost everything he once helpd dear in his life”, she said quietly.

”It's Serena, isn't it?” Natsu asked. ”That blonde woman who looks like my Luce, right?”

”Yeah, you're right, Natsu.”

”Were they lovers?” Erza said, looking thoughtful.

”I can't say for sure but they were pretty close, don't you think?”

Erza nodded. ”Which is exactly why I asked.”

”We should get going”, Rogue said. ”The door is really close now.”

”Lead us, my Warrior”, Aurora softly told him and smiled.

 _How long are you two going to pretend that you don't have feelings for each other? Don't be like me and Luce who spent years on doing that!_ Natsu thought as he looked at how Rogue returned a smile to Aurora.

*********

”The door is right over here”, Rogue said a while later when the group had followed him exit the park by using the western exit. He had guided them to the other side of the street that had been filled with abandoned cars and rubble. Once they had crossed the street, they turned left and walked a bit more. After that, they had reached crossroads where two streets met the one they had been walking on. Rogue took the left side road and everyone followed him closely.

After following Rogue for a bit more the group were standing in front of an abandoned church. It didn't look like it had been damaged by the war or anything else. The yard itself was a completely different story as there were old stains of blood on the ground, abandoned guns everywhere and broken benches and dead trees – Natsu was sure he even saw a skeleton behind one of the bushes too.

”So this is where they worshipped the Goddess of Chaos?” Gray asked.

”I'm not sure who was worshipped on in this church but I'm sure that it wasn't that goddess”, Rogue answered.

”What do you mean?”

”The other churches that I saw were completely intact. This is the only one that has signs of battles on the yard. Other churches' yards are clean. I couldn't enter this church because I was ambushed by Nora right at the door”, Rogue explained.

Rogue guided them inside the church – the door protested loudly as it was opened after such a long time – it was dark and dusty everywhere. It was so dark that he had to create a fireball to light up the room a little bit. There were long rows of benches and some of them had been broken into pieces.

”Ew, that's a skeleton”, said Happy quietly as they walked past one of the broken benches that had a skeleton laying on it with their hand over their chest.

On the other side of the room there was a altar, and behind it there was a huge statue of a goddess who looked like Sae. Around the statue there was a table with rows of used candles standing on it.

”Is that the real Sae?” Natsu wondered aloud.

”Judging by that body over there”, Sting said nodding towards the body behind them, ”I'd say that the people who used this church were probably worshipping her and not the evil goddess.”

”He's probably right”, Erza said as she picked up a picture from the floor. Then she showed it to everybody. It was a picture of a man who had white hair and dark blue eyes. A text on the plate at the bottom of the frame said, 'Our Saviour, blessed by the Goddess of Time Sae'.

”Something horrible has happened to this goddess”, Aurora whispered. ”Because if the goddess in Caelum isn't Sae, then it can only mean that the real Sae really is dead...”

”And that the Goddess of Chaos has taken her body as hers”, Rogue said.

”I'm starting to actually feel fear towards this bitch in Caelum”, Sting told them. ”Because if she can kill another god just like that, there really is no chance for us to defeat her.”

”I hate the truth so much sometimes...” Natsu sighed. ”Let's go get Lucy and run. Where's the door, Rogue?”

”You really don't want to fight this time, Natsu?” Gray asked, surprised.

”Sting's right. That bitch in Caelum gives me the worst chills ever so I'd rather run than die now. I just wanna get Luce first”, Natsu said.  
”The door is right here”, Rogue interrupted them. He walked over to the table and touched the surface. A big stone door manifested in front of the table. It had golden handles and symbols carved on the surface.

”This is the door to Where Forgotten Time Lies”, Rogue said.

”Can you open it?” Aurora asked.

”Yes, I can. It only opens to people like me who are already walking on a path of darkness”, as he spoke, he reached his hand out and put it on one of the handles. He pulled it, and the door opened immediately.

”Hey, it's the main street of our Crocus!” Gray said, surprised. ”Is the city really still on fire or am I hallucinating?”

”Horologium Saeculum moved the burning Crocus from 794X here. It will remain frozen in this state unless the spell's effect is reversed”, Rogue explained.

”Can Horologium Saeculum really be reversed?” Lector asked.

”I have no idea, Lector.”

”Can we go now?” Natsu asked, feeling excited because he was so close to get to Lucy now.

”Yeah, let's go”, Aurora said. ”I can't wait to see the look on mother's face when she sees me. She didn't notice me in Caelum but in that place she will!”

Her eyes got even more excited as she spoke – she was the first one to step through the door as well.

Everyone else followed her.

And after the last of them had stepped through, the door closed, and disappeared.

However, they didn't know that the villain mastermind, the Goddess of Chaos disguised as Sae, had been watching them quietly from the shadows. She was smiling victoriously – soon the Soulless Army would be hers and she'd be unstoppable!


	35. Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Sorry I was unable to update this story last week. I was just too busy with other things all week and couldn't find a moment to concentrate on this even though updating this story only takes like 2 minutes, lol. xD
> 
> Well anyways, I hope you like this chapter. I will update this story on time next week, I promise~
> 
> Happy reading! ♥

_Caelum – The Purge Room  
_ _Year: ???_

The Goddess of Chaos, also known as Kaos, was standing in the dimly lit Purge Room in the Caelum's palaces forbidden area where only the goddess and her Warriors were allowed to enter. Nobody else in the city or the palace knew the secret that was hidden in those corridors – the capsules where the Time Mages from the timeline were sleeping in, ready to be transferred back there. Kaos would make sure that this time they would do exactly as she wanted at all times. This time the timeline wouldn't be destroyed by the meddling Gods of Time, she was sure of it.

She had done everything quietly, slowly, carefully. It would be way too late to stop the progress. And this time she had multiple plans ready if the main plan didn't work. Her main goal was to get Regina Heartfilia's Soulless Army under her command. She had been foolish when she hadn't taken the Army from Seer Nox during the Time Mages' civil war. If she had come up with that idea back then, she would have every timeline under her command – but no, she hadn't realized the Mastery of those creatures was inherited in that wretched family line.

She still had a hard time to accept the fact that the Heartfilias had created Horologium Saeculum as well. It still made her angry how close she had been on taking out Zephyrus during the war, after she had dealt with Nox and Serena – she didn't know they had a daughter in the city, who would use such a spell to delete Kaos along with Caelum and her army from the timeline.

”It'll be great when I can finally get rid of this wretched body of Sae's. I'll be able to use all of my powers once more”, Kaos whispered as she looked at the reflection of a face that wasn't really hers. Sae looked too kind and too warm. She had been everything that Kaos wasn't and would never be. Kaos was cold, pale, heartless. Sae had been her exact opposite. She tried to stop Kaos after she had executed the Saviour publicly but ended up dying in the Goddess' hands instead. She took Sae's place as the Goddess of Time and had been playing that role for generations now.

”I can't believe Rogue went back to my world with Lucy's friends”, Kaos chuckled. ”Didn't he learn that I always have my eye on that place just in case someone tries to find out the truth about me? Silly child, now I know exactly how to get to Regina...”

Kaos smiled as she looked into the capsule in front of her – the Great Seeress Serena slept in it – imprisoned after the civil war in Caelum so many centuries ago. She and a bunch of other Time Mages had all been traitors.

Just like in her own world where a group of people had decided to follow a man who had been marked as Sae's Seer once. Kaos had been lucky that she had been able to get rid of that man before he had succeeded in his mission to kill the Goddess of Chaos like the prophecy had foretold.

Kaos smiled as another bloody tear fell from Serena's eye and rolled down on her cheek. It happened every time when she tried to stop herself from seeing the visions of the glorious future under the Chaos – but Kaos wanted her to watch all of it. Over and over until she succumbed to her will again.

”You will become the Messenger of Chaos once more, Serena, you like it or not, that is your fate”, Kaos whispered to her. ”The End of Days is finally upon us – when the false illusion shall break and everything will be rewritten just as I want.”

Another bloody tear rolled down on the Seeress' cheek.

*********

The face of his beloved Serena was still in Nox's mind as he entered Regina's fortress after the encounter with Natsu and the others. He hadn't expected Aurora to be powerful enough to enter his memories and remind him of his main goal. He couldn't forget that smiling blonde woman from his memories. His mind was filled with memories of their time together – and the promise he had given her silently on the day when he had been imprisoned.

” _I will find you even if it's the last thing I do”,_ were the last words he had told her after he had realized she was still alive after their fierce battle in Caelum so long ago – how had he been able to forget such a promise?

_It was a good thing that we met, Aurora_ , Nox thought as he pushed open the doors into the room where Lucy Heartfilia was working on the door to Dimensions Beyond. He could sense how frustrated with her task she already was.

”Why can't you just open? You're just a door!” Lucy said in a irritated voice.

Nox found it amusing. ”It requires something special from you before it opens”, he said.

”What?” Lucy asked, turning to look at him.

”It requires your power as the Seeress of Guidance, Lucy. You probably should try to find that side of yourself somehow.” He chuckled.

”Are you mocking me?” she asked in disbelief.

”Of course not, Lucy. I have my trust in you”, Nox told her.

”Then why are you here?”

”I've returned from a trip that taught me a lot. I met your friends along the way.”

”Which means you chased after them until they just had to confront you”, Lucy translated, still sounding irritated yet her eyes had a curious look in them.

_She doesn't know they escaped Caelum? Interesting,_ Nox thought. ”Yes. I chased them down to teach them a lesson.”

”But failed?”

”I was defeated by Regina's daughter Aurora.”

”That's pretty ironic... eh, whatever your name is.”

”Oh yes, I never really introduced myself to you – I'm Nox.”

”Nice to meet you, Nox”, Lucy said and smiled. ”You were the Seer of Darkness, weren't you?”

”You're not shocked like Aurora was?” Nox asked curiously. ”Also yes, I was.”

”I think I've always known who you are”, Lucy answered, looking thoughtful. ”I also know that you needed a reminder of your goal and you needed to meet Aura to get it.”

Nox smiled. ”I was correct about your Seeress power, Lucy. You do have it in you.”

”I do?” Lucy said, surprised. She was quiet for a moment. ”I think you might be right. I've guided people all this time even if I sometimes did the wrong things...”

”I don't care about my revenge anymore, Lucy. Aurora opened my eyes. I just want to save Serena now.”

”In that case you should know that Aurora really wants to help you with that. She knows how to get her without getting caught”, Lucy told him. ”Damn, I did it again, did I?”

”Yes, you did”, Nox said and chuckled. ”You have to concentrate on this door, Lucy. It'll open to you eventually. Just don't give up.”

Lucy smiled. ”I will, Nox.”

*********

Natsu and the others were standing on a slope on the outskirts of Crocus from their year of 794X. City was frozen in time in the same state where it had been sucked into the Horologium Saeculum on that fateful day when they had failed in their mission to stop Regina Heartfilia's plans. Crocus was covered in flames and smoke. Everything was on fire. All the flames and parts of the houses – and even buildings – were floating in the air as if they were getting sucked into the sky.

Natsu couldn't forget those events. He relived everything in his mind the moment he looked at the city. They had went there to get information regarding Lucy's whereabouts from Sting, who had been in contact with her. And when they got into the city and started the meeting they had been invited to, all hell broke loose as Regina attacked. Crocus up in flames had been glued to his mind ever since.

”I'm speechless”, Happy whispered.

”Me too”, Natsu told him. He sniffed the air and smelt something really familiar. ”Oh, I can smell Luce!”

”Me too”, Sting said. ”Regina's scent, too”, he told Theodore and Aurora who both nodded, looking relieved about that fact.

”They're probably in Regina's fortress over there”, Rogue said, pointing on the other side of the city where a familiar looking flying fortress stood on the ground.

”That's Zephyrus' palace”, Theodore corrected him.

”Zephyrus' palace?” Sting asked. ”No wonder that place has always looked so familiar then...”

”What do you mean?” Natsu asked him.

”We've visited the palace in Zephyrus few times before, Natsu. I've always thought they looked really familiar but I never thought the flying fortress _was_ the palace”, blonde man explained.

”I don't pay attention on things like that”, Natsu just said, shrugging.

”I just find it very interesting that the afloat system has existed long before the 1300X events took place”, Erza said, looking thoughtful.

”Tomas and his father before him did not like the fact that Zephyrians were so intelligent”, Theodore said. ”He thought they were a threat so the city had to be stripped down of all things that might educate them on such matters...” he sighed.

”Those kings really were douchebags”, Gray murmured.

Theodore nodded. ”Tomas' father dethroned the Heartfilia who ruled the city and the son proceeded to make their lives even more hellish.”

”Wait”, Natsu said. ”'Dethroned the Heartfilia who ruled the city'?”

Theodore nodded again. ”Heartfilias were in power in Zephyrus for a very long time. Nobody really knows how it happened, however, there isn't really anything mentioned about it anywhere up until a girl called Regal Heartfilia.”

”That's because the notes of the previous Heartfilias such as myself were wiped out”, said a familiar male voice. It was Nox, who was walking towards them.

”I knew you'd come to me sooner or later, Nox”, Aurora just calmly said.

”Yes, Aurora, you have opened my eyes and made me realize that fighting you is pointless. And that my main goal has, and will always be, save my beloved Serena from her prison”, Nox told her. He smiled. ”You have my gratitude, young Seeress.”

”Thank you”, Aurora smiled. ”Now, I assume you want to know how to get to Serena?”

”Yes, that's why I'm here. I understood you know how to get to her.”

Aurora nodded. ”I want to transfer the information into your mind so you will remember it better than me just explaining it. Will you let me do so?”

Nox nodded.

Aurora put her hands on the sides of his head. A golden light flashed for a minute and then disappeared. Aurora put her hands down.

”Good luck on your mission, Nox”, Aurora said. ”Don't worry, my goddess will help you. Her name is Sapientia.”

”Goddess of Memories has a Seeress now? That's very, very unusual for her”, Nox said before he disappeared into a swirl of black smoke.

”Hmm, I don't know about any of you guys, but he sounded like he has met Sapientia before”, Lector murmured.

”You're probably right”, Aurora said. ”Well, anyways, we should go now!”

”I agree with her”, Natsu grinned. ”I really wanna see Luce.”

”Regina just informed that she has sensed our presence in here”, Theodore informed them. ”She's waiting for us at the palace.”

”Which palace?” Sting asked.

”Oh, I mean the floating fortress over there, not the Merkurius Castle.”

”Alright then. Let's move.”

”The Soulless Army around this place won't be attacking us”, Theodore said. ”Regina has ordered them to stand down unless we attack them.”

”I think fighting is pointless”, Erza said. ”We'll get out of this timeline faster if we don't get distracted, ok?”

Everyone nodded, and they began their journey towards the Zephyrus palace in the distance.

*********

_I wonder what could've happened if we had actually succeeded in stopping Regina from using that spell,_ Natsu wondered as the group walked through the flaming city. They were walking on the main street that had usually been busy and lively but now it was all gone. While Natsu had been saving Lucy in the floating fortress, everyone else had been fighting in the middle of this hell.

”I wonder why we haven't met anyone else from that time period”, Lector suddenly said. ”I understood that some of Fairy Tail members never arrived on the new timeline”, he added.

”Yeah, our master, Mira and Wendy never were nowhere to be seen on the new timeline”, Erza confirmed. ”I've tried to keep an eye on them as we've moved through time, but they're nowhere to be seen.”

”If they weren't on the timeline, they've gotten lost in time and never found their way home”, Aurora said. ”Unless they were guided to safety like you were, Natsu.”

”Yeah, I was with Sting, Luce, Happy and Lector and that goddess guided us to Caelum.”

Aurora nodded. ”So there's a possibility your friends are somewhere safe waiting for a way to get back home.”

”Will they need help or will they come back on their own, I wonder”, Erza said.

”Lucy's power of Guidance will show them the way when it's time”, Aurora said.

”Guidance?” Natsu asked.

”All Seers has their own powers, Natsu”, Aurora explained. ”Nox has the power of the Darkness, Serena has the power of the Light. Lucy's power is Guidance and mine is Healing. Nox and Serena are the most powerful Seers in history.”

”Was Regina ever marked as a Seeress?” Lector wondered.

”She's what the Time Mages would call a 'Fallen Seer'. Someone who has turned their back on their god to walk on their own path”, Aurora explained. ”Basically, mother would be an outcast and hated by everybody in Caelum for doing so.”

”You really spent some time reading books in Caelum, didn't you, Aura?” Theodore asked smiling.

”Yes, father, I read every book they had there”, Aurora said proudly. ”My mother was a Seeress of Darkness until she turned her back on that goddess... and I have to ask her why she did it.”

”We have to keep moving”, Rogue quietly said. He shivered. ”Something's different in the air...”

”What do you mean?” Gray asked immediately. ”An enemy?”

”Now that you mentioned it, something in me is telling me to run into the palace as fast as I can”, Natsu said.

”The goddess may have found out where we are going”, Rogue said quietly. ”She must have been monitoring the Dark World the whole time when we were there.”

”Shit, that's not something I wanted to hear”, Sting sighed. ”So we gotta prepare for a battle after all.”

”I'm afraid so. I'm sorry, everyone. I really thought we'd be able to avoid it”, Rogue told them.

”We can if we're fast enough”, Natsu said. ”Let's go now. We aren't even that far away from it anymore!”

Everyone nodded, and they began to run towards the palace front doors that were only few meters away from them. As they got closer, Natsu was able to smell Lucy even better. She was definitely in the palace, and he got more and more excited about it the closer he got to the doors. Natsu also noticed that Sting had been right about the palace reminding him of the floating fortress. The building was exactly like the palace in the different time periods that he had visited with his friends earlier. How hadn't he noticed it before? It made absolutely no sense to him.

”Mother!” Aurora yelled excitedly and ran past Natsu. He slowed down as Aurora wrapped her arms around Regina Heartfilia, whose face had a mix of different emotions written all over it. She then smiled and hugged her daughter tightly. Theodore smiled and hugged them both tightly.

”Oh, Aura, I thought I'd never see you again...” she whispered quietly – she probably hoped that no one would hear her but Natsu heard her anyway. ”Where have you been?” she added when she let go of her.

”I was in Caelum, mother”, Aurora answered. ”When the time was distorted in Zephyrus, I was hiding in the closet where I fell into a paradox and found myself in Caelum.”

”I'm so relieved that you're ok, my dear, but how come you've grown this much?”

”Time flows differently in Caelum, mother. Few weeks on our timeline is 13 years in Caelum”, Aurora explained.

”I would've saved you if I had known you were there, Aura. I'm sorry”, Regina said. ”I didn't even sense your presence when I was there getting Lucy.”

”It's fine, mother. I had a mission I had to do elsewhere so I couldn't come with you at the time. I was doing research for Sapientia. She's one of the seven Gods of Time.”

”Can she be trusted?” Regina immediately asked, suspicion evident in her voice.

”Yes, mother. This goddess is nothing like Kaos”, Aurora said. ”She's very kind.”

”Alright, I believe you”, Regina said, and smiled. Then she looked at Theodore for a moment and then kissed him. Theodore smiled at her in lovingly as they broke apart.

_I've never seen a family that loves each other the same way as those three,_ Natsu thought. _I'm happy for them. They're finally together._

”Excuse me”, Erza said politely. ”I'm sorry for interrupting your reunion, but could be possibly go to the door to Dimensions Beyond now?”

”Oh yes”, Regina said. ”How are you even aware of that door's existence in my palace?” she asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

”We were told about it by Sapientia. She wants all of us to go through it and find her so we could take down the Goddess of Chaos”, Natsu explained. ”She told us when we were escaping from Caelum.”

”So this goddess whom I have never heard of has decided to meddle in the events of this timeline?”

”She has her reasons, mother. She thinks we have what it takes to take Kaos down for once and for all”, Aurora told her. ”It'll be fine.”

”Fine. Come in then, everyone. I will take you to the door and hopefully Lucy has opened it by then so we can leave this doomed place”, Regina said as she snapped her fingers and the doors into her palace opened.

*********

The portal in the Time Chamber in Caelum opened. A man with silver hair and blue eyes walked into the room that hadn't been in use much for generations. He looked around and snorted at the sight of the poor condition of it. Was the fake Sae trying to erase the history of the Time Mages by not allowing them to walk through time as they were supposed to do? They were the guardians of Time itself, after all! He remembered that in his time they were allowed to travel through time as long as they didn't change anything unless it was something it would have shattered the whole timeline. But now the Time Chamber looked like it hadn't been used at all in a while.

” _Nox, is that you...?”_ a voice whispered in his mind, interrupting his thoughts. A calming sensation washed over his very soul, making it easy to recognize the owner of the voice.

” _Yes, my beloved, it is me_ ”, Nox answered gently.

” _Finally...”_ then her calming presence disappeared from Nox's mind.

_Serena must be tired from being here for so long. I must hurry to her side and save her,_ he thought as he walked towards the wooden door on the other side of the room.

According to the information Aurora had given him, he had to walk through the forbidden area of Caelum's palace to reach the hidden Purge Room which was located in there. Nox did have a hunch of where the door might actually be because back when he first visited Caelum, he had ventured into the areas of the palace where outsiders were not allowed to go. He had been ambushed by a group of 'Sae's Warriors' who had guided him out of the area, and it had bugged him ever since. There had been a secret there, but Nox never knew what it was. Now he was going to get his answers at last.

” _Remember when we first met on the day when I had invited you to Caelum for the meeting about the relations between our four cities?”_ Serena's voice interrupted his thoughts.

” _Yes, how can I forget the day when I saw you for the first time?”_ Nox said and smiled as he walked through the familiar looking corridor. This was where he had been caught and taken back to the main hall.

” _I thought you were the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my life, Serena”,_ Nox told her. _”You were the only one willing to be civil with me. Aqua and Terra were openly hostile towards me because of who I was...”_

” _I just wanted peace. Not the war that destroyed us...”_ Serena's voice was full of pain.

” _Don't blame yourself for it, Serena. You did what you thought was the right thing to do because that's the kind of a person you are, and all Zephyrians loved you for it. You are a blessing for our society”,_ Nox told her as he walked past the line of paintings on the stone walls. He chuckled a little bit at the sight of his painting having been sabotaged with red paint and felt surprised that it still hang there anyways.

” _Nox, you're so sweet. How anyone can hate you is beyond me”,_ Serena told him. _”Thank you for your words. I really needed to hear those.”_

Nox smiled as Serena's presence in his head disappeared once more.

The door at the other end of the corridor opened as he got close to it. He stopped walking and listened for a little bit – he wanted to make sure there was no surprises waiting for him in the throne room – but all he heard was the sounds of silence.

He went into the throne room. They still had Sae's statue standing behind the throne. This was were Nox had introduced himself to Serena for the first time and she had welcomed him with the kindness that she was famous for. Her calming presence made it easier for him to relax during the meeting where they had been talking about reinstating Zephyrus as a part of the society as it had been off limits for 200 years before that. Aqua and Terra, who had been twins with opposing elemental powers, were strongly against it while Serena had stood behind her words. Nox remembered how amazed he had been by the newly chosen Seeress' determination and passion towards the issue. He later learned that Serena's biggest wish was to unite the Time Mages once again to the state where they had been before Zephyrus had been outcasted from the others. To Serena it had been unfair treatment – Nox had agreed with her on that one.

”Where's the switch...?” Nox murmured as he walked on the right side of the throne. He remembered that there was supposed to be a switch that allowed people to enter the Purge Room area, but he saw nothing.

” _Touch the right wall, Nox. The switch should appear on the surface. Press it and you'll find the Purge Room from the other side”,_ Lucy's voice whispered to him.

” _How did you know I'm here?”_ Nox asked, surprised.

” _I just know, Nox”,_ came the answer and her presence from his mind disappeared.

”Must be her Guidance power”, Nox murmured as he raised his hand and put it on the surface of the wall. He slid his fingers on it until a square shaped outlined plate appeared and rose from it. He pushed the 'unlock' button and the door on his left opened. He quickly went into the new corridor and the door behind him closed.

” _They dragged me here after our battle, Nox. I was told that it's my punishment for betraying the goddess. I was forced to See everything on the timeline from then on until the end of time”,_ Serena explained as Nox walked through the dust covered corridor that looked just as old as the previous one. There were more paintings on the walls, and abandoned piles of boxes laying on the floor.

” _I was imprisoned for generations in a tower here”,_ Nox told Serena. _”I sensed your presence the whole time, Serena. I just didn't know where you were and how to get to you at the time. I'm sorry.”_

” _Don't be sorry, Nox, you're on your way to me now and that's all that matters to me right now”,_ Serena said. Then her presence disappeared from his mind once again.

Nox entered a hall where parts of the walls and the roof had collapsed so he could see the moonlit sky outside easily. He walked on the other side of the hall and wondered if this building was actually the old abandoned temple that Caelum had had. He remembered that when he had been a younger kid, Zephyrians had been pretty shocked to hear that Caelum's old temple had been ordered to be abandoned as the goddess needed it for 'her own purposes'. Now Nox knew what those purposes had been – build a place where she could imprison Time Mages for who knows what reason.

He opened the door and found himself yet another long, dimly lit corridor. There was also a door at the end of it and he walked towards it, feeling Serena's presence closer than ever. When he opened the door, he found himself in a dome shaped room – the very same one that all the past Zephyrian Seers had talked about for 200 years – and the anger took over his heart as he looked at all the capsules that were on the walls up until the roof. There were hundreds of them, and he could tell there was a Time Mage sleeping in every last one of them – Zephyrians, Caelumis, Aquans and Terrans. They were all asleep there.

”So this is where you put them all after the war, you phony goddess?” Nox growled. He let out few cuss words at the sight and then looked around. He had to concentrate.

He found what he was looking for from the middle of the dome – there was four more capsules in a ring. One for each Seer from the four cities. There was one for him, one for Aqua, Terra and lastly, Serena. The capsule meant for Nox was empty as he was never brought to this room, and when they had began to talk about 'purging his mind', he had decided to escape from his prison known as the Tower of Time in Caelum. With the help of Goddess of Memories he had found his way back to the timeline just in time to stop Regina from submitting to phony goddess' demands.

Nox looked at the capsule where Serena was resting. His heart stung with pain as he saw the blood stains on her beautiful face, and the worn down clothes that she had worn at the time of the civil war. Even now a bloody tears fell down on her cheeks as she tried to stop herself from Seeing everything. Nox could only imagine how much pain it gave to her.

” _Serena, I'm here, I'll help you out”,_ Nox told her.

Serena immediately reacted to it – she raised her hand on the surface of the capsule's glass. Nox put his hand on against the glass.

” _I don't want to See anymore, Nox...”_ Serena's voice sounded desperate.

Nox looked around in the room and noticed a operating panel nearby. He went over and looked at it. There was a lot of different buttons on it and little screens that had every capsules heart rate lines on them. Nox didn't care about them at that very moment. Right now he just wanted to free Serena, who was obviously ready to give in and stop fighting against the visions she was Seeing constantly. Nox couldn't allow that to happen. Serena was a strong, determined woman. Seeing her getting weak was something that he didn't want to see.

”There”, he mumbled as he found the button he had been looking for. He pushed it.

Nox heard a loud hissing sound from behind him and turned to look. The glass cover of Serena's capsule had risen to the air, giving the woman the freedom she deserved. She took a step out of the podium she had been standing on and collapsed on the floor right after. Nox ran by her side as the capsule closed again. He pulled Serena into his arms and held her close.

”My beloved”, he whispered as he kissed her forehead.

”I've missed you so much, Nox”, she whispered. ”I'm sorry I betrayed you like that, I shouldn't have listened to Kaos' lies about you...”

”Serena, I don't hate you for it”, Nox told her. ”Don't feel any regrets. I'm here by your side now, and I won't leave you again.”

”And the next time I meet Kaos, I will use my magic on her for betraying our society”, Serena said angrily.

”Then we shall go together, my love.”

”Let's do it right away. They're going to need our help in the battle against the goddess”, Serena said. ”But first...” she added and kissed him.


	36. The Fortress

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Sorry I didn't post a chapter last week, I was busy working on A Winter Banquet's longer version, but I'm here with a new chapter now. :) In this one we have a reunion and a epic cliffhanger. ;)
> 
> Happy reading! ♥
> 
> PS. Also yes, I have changed my name from Powwo to Minttulatte. Didn't like the old one anymore. :D

_The Time Chamber - Caelum  
_ _Year: ?_

Kaos smiled as she opened the door into the Time Chamber. Only her and her Warriors were allowed to step into this very forbidden area of Caelum's palace. She felt victorious. She now knew exactly where to go to get her hands on Regina once more – and it was all simply because a dumb boy had made a mistake.

Her victorious smile disappeared suddenly. Something felt different in the room. And the portal was activated. Who could have betrayed her and entered this room without permission? She swung her hand and a holographic screen appeared in front of her. As she went through the recorded content on the screen, she felt rage build up inside of her.

Aurora Heartfilia and Seer Nox had used the portal.

She felt even more anger when she saw that Sapientia, the Goddess of Memories, had also been in the chamber.

”I didn't know you're such a sneaky little snake, Sapientia. Just like your dear sister was by Marking someone in my world as hers”, Kaos mumbled. ”Well, well, well, I guess I have to make sure that you'll feel the death of your little Seeress then”, she added and grinned menacingly. Even just a thought of torturing Aurora until she begged her to stop pleased her chaotic soul.

But Seer Nox would be a real problem. Kaos looked at how he snuck into the chamber, and walked out. And a while later he re-entered the room with Seeress Serena. They entered the portal and disappeared.

”Nox...” Kaos whispered, feeling so much hatred and anger towards the man. Nox's family line had been the biggest problem to the goddess ever since Caelum had been founded. His ancestors had been suspicious of the goddess since day one. And eventually someone dug a little bit too deep and found out the truth about her. They tried to assassinate Kaos, which lead her separate Zephyrus from the rest of the empire by telling Caelum's Seer at the time that it was a city of the Soulless where every traveller would be turned into one – and everyone had believed her words.

That was until Serena Heartfilia had been born. Kaos didn't expect her to betray her the way she did. She met with Seer Nox soon after she had taken her place as a Seeress. She had even visited Zephyrus without Kaos knowing about it – the chain of events had been interesting to say the least. It had given Kaos a way to imprison the rebellious Seer Nox for a very long time and only thing she needed to do was to turn Serena against him. It had been way too easy because she was Nox's biggest weakness.

Kaos snapped her fingers angrily. Even though she had managed to imprison Seer Nox so she could execute him for his crimes later, she hadn't realized that the two might have a ace up in their sleeve.

Regal Heartfilia. Nox's and Serena's daughter who possessed the power of darkness. Kaos hated that name. It reminded her of her greatest loss – that she could not take down the one city that she had wanted to destroy. Instead, she and the rest of her great empire had been sealed in Time, thrown out of the timeline that she had wanted to play with as long as she could.

And a while later, Seer Nox escaped from his prison in the Tower of Time, leaving no traces for Kaos to follow.

”But this time you're not going to get away from me, Nox, mark my words. This time I will put an end to your existence”, Kaos whispered. ”You and your clan will cease to exist once I'm done with you.”

Kaos walked over to the portal, smiling. It was still connected to the location it had been recently used from – Crocus 794X ruins.

The Goddess of Chaos stepped into the portal.

-.-.-.-

Lucy Heartfilia was getting frustrated. The door to Dimensions Beyond had proven to be a lot more difficult to open than she had expected it to be. She had already tried everything that had come to mind – even using her Celestial Spirit keys in an act of desperation but nothing had happened. If anything, she only began to miss her friends and her spirits more than she already did.

Not to mention the self doubt that had began to build up inside of her. She had began to think that maybe it'd be better if she just let go and take what Kaos' new timeline would have to offer for her. It was unusual for her to want to give up and accept defeat, but at this moment she felt that she had done everything she possibly could. Was there anything left to try?

Lucy couldn't even talk to anybody in the palace. She was there alone. Nox had left to get his beloved from Caelum and Lucy knew that Regina was somewhere else as well since her presence was so far away in the palace. Blonde had nobody to ask for help.

Lucy turned her attention back on the stupid door. ”I really don't like you”, she mumbled and kicked it – just to show it how she felt, which was immature as hell, of course.

”Just open already! What's the big deal?” she said impatiently. ”Am I just dumb or something because I can't open this?” she murmured as she walked around the door in hopes to find some clues – a.k.a a switch that she hadn't noticed before – to open the door.

”Nothing. There has to be something that I have missed”, Lucy wondered aloud. ”There's no other reason. I'm missing something important... but what could it be?”

She sat down on the floor and sighed. ”I don't get this...”

” _Don't give up when you're so close to succeed, Lucy”,_ said a gentle voice in the hall, startling Lucy. A golden swirl of smoke appeared, and a woman walked out from it.

She looked like Sae, she also had long white hair and golden eyes. She, however, wore a golden dress instead of white that Sae had worn. She also had a tiara on her head.

Lucy immediately stood up and was ready to summon the Javelins in case this turned out to be the Goddess of Chaos herself.

”Fear not, Lucy Heartfilia, I do not walk on the path of chaotic darkness”, woman said gently.

”I understand your suspicions and you have every right to feel that way. Allow me to introduce myself – my name is Sapientia.”

Lucy nodded and furrowed her eyebrows. There was something very familiar about this goddess. It was as if she had met her before. A long time ago.

”Wait...” Lucy mumbled. ”Have we met before?” she asked.

”Yes, we have, Lucy”, Sapientia confirmed and smiled. ”At that time I had a different form, as I also guard the forgotten memories.”

Lucy immediately remembered the dark skinned, dark haired woman who she had met right after the rejoinment with Nora had failed. She had found herself on a shore right next to a place called Memoria.

”Eofra. You're Eofra”, she said, and calmed down.

”Yes. That is a role I take whenever someone's soul has been shattered and they need guidance to remember who they are. My true identity, however, is Sapientia. I'm the Goddess of Memories”, Sapientia explained.

Lucy nodded. ”You look like _her..._ ” she whispered.

”You mean the real Goddess of Time Sae? She was my sister” Sapientia corrected her, a sad look in her golden eyes. ”She's been dead for a very long time now.”

”I'm sorry to hear that, Sapientia”, Lucy said, feeling genuinely sorry for this goddess. She also immediately understood that Sapientia was involved in all of this just to get justice for her sister. It was written all over her face. Lucy understood it well as she – no matter how many doubts she had – wanted revenge as well. The Goddess of Chaos had ruined so many things and so many lives. Not to mention the fact that she had tricked Lucy, and she wanted the evil goddess to be punished for her crimes.

”Can you help me with this door, Sapientia? I can't open it”, she said.

Sapientia smiled. ”Yes, I can”, she said and walked over to the door. ”This door, just like many others like it, are not easy to open as they were built for protection. Once it had been clear to me and the other Gods of Time that Sae who was walking among us wasn't the real one, we took action. Once she had descended upon your timeline by answering the calling of the Time Mages' first Seeress, we closed the passageways to the other timelines with these doors. We wanted to seal her into one timeline, even though it meant that we'd sacrifice the timeline Sae had controlled, but there was nothing else we could do at that point. We couldn't have another war with Kaos as the previous one had destroyed an entire world.”

”So you built these doors to keep her under control?” Lucy whispered.

”Yes. We knew perfectly well what she wanted to do if we had just allowed her to roam free among us and other timelines. She was a bad actress. The moment she began to talk about how we need to enslave the Soulless to become fearful gods, we knew she wasn't Sae. Sae never wanted to enslave anybody, not even the creatures of darkness”, Sapientia explained. ”Zephyrus' Seers were always suspicious of the goddess, mostly because the Soulless reacted to her defensively as they fear the chaotic darkness”, she added. ”So we put this particular door into their palace.”

”How do you open it?” Lucy asked.

”We don't allow Messengers of Chaos to walk through these as the Mark of Chaos could give a pass for Kaos to slip through these doors and cause chaos in other timelines”, Sapientia explained. ”Because where the ones with the Mark of Chaos are, the goddess will follow.”

Lucy looked at the mark on her shoulder. She couldn't open the door because of the mark on her skin? Why hadn't she realized it herself?

”But you are also walking on the path as Sae's Seeress of Guidance”, Sapientia said, smiling. ”Your power leads people to the right path, whether or not they walk in darkness or in the light. And even if you've chosen to be Regina's Warrior of Darkness, you can still open this door but only if you forgive yourself.”

”How can I forgive myself for what I did? I let Kaos boss me around and destroy this timeline by thinking I was doing it for the greater good. Now, because of me, the timeline will fall into Chaos...” Lucy said.

”That's exactly what the Goddess of Chaos wants, Lucy. She wants the Messenger of Chaos to fall into a despair and hate themselves because for her it's easier to control them that way. All Messengers has fallen into the chaotic darkness sooner or later as the result but you are stronger than you think you are, Lucy. You just have to find your light again”, Sapientia told her. ”Be the guiding light in darkness for Aurora and others, and they will find you.”

”But how?”

”Don't give up, Lucy. Let the light within you shine once more. I know you can do it”, Sapientia said as the swirl of golden smoke began to appear around her. ”I believe in you with all my heart, Lucy Heartfilia”, she whispered as the smoke covered her up and disappeared.

Lucy stood up from the floor. She remembered how she had been able to use the power of light before the darkness had taken a hold of her. Ever since then she had thought darkness was the only power she now had but... could it really be that she still had her other powers too?

”Okay, let's try this”, Lucy mumbled, put her hand on the surface of the door and closed her eyes. She could feel the glimpse of light within the depths of her soul's darkness and she called upon it. She could feel the warmth take over her body – she hadn't even realized how cold she had been – and smiled.

”Please hear me, the great Gods of Time. I seek your guidance as the Seeress of Guidance, not as the Messenger of Chaos as I do not follow the path of chaos no longer. Allow me to enter the Dimensions Beyond so I can find salvation for myself and those whom I hold dear in my heart”, she said, and opened her eyes.

Her hand was shining in golden light, as was the door to Dimensions Beyond as well. The light gathered into the middle of the door surface, and disappeared into the crack in it. Then, Lucy felt how the door opened beneath her hand and she took a step back.

” _We will allow you to enter the Dimensions Beyond, Seeress of Guidance”,_ said a voice from inside the door.

She couldn't believe she had actually succeeded.

And what's more, she finally felt whole again as the darkness had stepped aside, and the light had taken its place in her soul.

********

The first time Natsu had been in Regina's fortress, he had been on a mission to get Lucy out of there safely. And at that time he was sure that he would never return but as he walked through the familiar corridors, he had realized that he had returned there quite a few times during his adventure with Lucy. It felt a little bit weird to follow Regina this time as he had been so used to having Lucy do the job. This adventure didn't feel the same anymore without the blonde. He was so happy that she would rejoin the group at the top of the palace.

”I can't help but feel this way”, Aurora said, bringing Natsu back from his thoughts. ”I feel like something's about to happen. Something _bad_ , and I don't think I want to be here when it does...”

Regina looked at her daughter a worried look on her face. ”The goddess?”

Aurora nodded.

”In that case we must hurry to the door”, Regina said, and she looked troubled by the thought of Kaos coming for her even though she tried her best to hide it.

_So Kaos is Regina's biggest fear,_ Natsu thought. _Can't blame her though. That goddess is even scarier than Gildarts was during the S Class Exam,_ he added as he remembered the moment when he had felt almost overpowering fear. Kaos gave him the same vibes and he did not like it at all.

”I had so many plans for my timeline”, Regina said. ”If Lucy had learned about the true face of that Goddess, we could've saved ourselves sooner.”

”Hey –” Natsu began.

”But since the door to Dimensions Beyond revealed itself to us here, I really can't be angry”, Regina interrupted him, looking at him sharply.

”Do we even want to know about your plans, Regina?” Sting asked. ”We saw what the new 794X was like, and it wasn't beautiful.”

”Ah, you still see me as the villain, don't you?” Regina mocked him. ”You, out of all people, were really close to step into darkness when Nora was dying. You wished for her to stay with you, didn't you?”

Sting said nothing.

”Exactly. You had those thoughts as well, so you really can't judge me or my actions, Sting Eucliffe”, Regina mercilessly continued.

”Fine. You're right. I wanted Nora to stay with me for my own selfish reasons”, Sting confessed. ”But I changed my mind because her pain was too much to deal with.”

”Obviously”, Regina said. ”But it was so close for you to take the dive that even I could hear those whispers in the darkness.”

”Brutal”, Happy commented while Sting glared at the woman.

Aurora sighed. ”Please don't start fighting. We have a mission.”

”We could also confront the goddess head-on and kick her ass”, Sting pointed out.

”Weren't you the one who said you want to run?” Natsu asked him.

”True, but I'm also curious to see how strong that bitch of a goddess really is.”

”We aren't strong enough”, Aurora told him. ”She's way too strong for any of us to defeat.”

”I can dream of kicking her ass though?” Sting asked her.

”Certainly”, Aurora said, looking amused.

_She looks like her mother with that look on her face,_ Natsu thought.

********

Regina guided them to the third floor of the palace. Natsu didn't remember this corridor at all. It was a long dusty one that had once had paintings on the each side of it. Now there were only empty frames – some of them were on the floor – next to the broken tables and chairs. Even curtains had been ripped down on the floor so he was able to see the darkness outside and Crocus that was frozen in time.

”Where's all the paintings?” Aurora asked. ”This whole place looks so sad. Not like the one I grew up in...”

”This basically summarizes what Zephyrus looks like in 794X, Aura”, Rogue said quietly. ”It's nothing but a old pile of rubble by the Northern Sea.”

”Yeah, in our time barely anyone even knows the ruins were once a great city”, Sting added. ”And if you try to look up for some information, you'll find nothing.”

”And what's more”, Erza said, ”the ruins are off limits to all civilians. It's guarded at all times.”

Regina looked amused. ”Still scared of me, aren't they?” she asked.

”Very much so”, Erza confirmed. As she spoke, she pulled out a stack of papers from her pocket. ”It's clearly stated here that the whole 'Queen of Darkness' thing was created by Fiorean kings, not by Regina.”

She gave the papers to Natsu, who immediately began to read them through.

”Where did you find these papers and why didn't you show them to us sooner, Erza?” Gray, who read the papers over Natsu's shoulder, asked.

”I never had time because things started to happen. I remembered I had them only just now.”

”What does the papers say?” Theodore asked curiously.

”It says, 'all the evidence of Reana's and its ruler, Regina Heartfilia, are to be erased from existence, and that all the supporters of this menace must be executed at once when sighted so they won't destroy our mighty kingdom that I, Tomas E. Fiore, created. From this day until the end of time all Heartfilias must be kept an eye on in case they try to take over the crown”, Natsu read. ”Signed by Tomas E. Fiore in 491X.”

”That midget...” Regina growled angrily.

”That king sounds like a total douchebag”, Sting said. ”Ordered hunts to get rid of a family because they did stuff he didn't like.”

”And that thing is still a law in Fiore”, Erza said. ”I checked. It's known as the Rebellion Prevention Act and has a bit of nicer words, but the meaning is still the same – if a Heartfilia gets rebellious, kill them all at once.”

”Which is the exact reason why I really wanted to get out of Lucy's soul”, Regina said. ”The whole idea of me changing the timeline was to save us from that law.”

”Damn, really?” Natsu asked.

”The current king would've found out the truth soon because there was a prophecy that predicted my return. He would've assassinated your girlfriend one day just to prevent the catastrophe I would've caused”, Regina explained. ”So you actually owe me for saving Lucy's life, Dragneel.”

Natsu was so speechless that he could only nod in agreement. This woman was full of surprises for sure.

As they kept walking further upstairs, Natsu noticed the areas began to look familiar again. In this particular foor – he had no idea what number it was – were the rooms that he had checked out with Nora and Happy on the day when Regina had attacked Crocus. Back then they had been shocked to find out that Regina had children as she was pure evil and heartless then. Now it was evident that deep inside Regina was more human than she had let on. She was a loving wife and mother behind the dark sorceress image. The living room was still the same as it had been then except maybe a bit more dirtier than back then, and maybe some furniture had been knocked over.

”Looks like we're in a area that you remember”, Aurora pointed out, looking at him.

Natsu nodded. ”I went through this floor on my way to save Luce.”

”That's so romantic”, Aurora sighed.

”I want to know something”, Sting said suddenly. ”How did you meet Kaos, Regina?”

Regina's eyes lit up with fierce fire immediately. ”She tried to steal my body when I was 18. I was arrested in Zephyrus for provoking the townsfolk to start a rebellion and the Fiorean soldiers caught me. They took me to a island where all the rebels 'disappeared'. Everyone in Zephyrus knew that prisoners were executed without a trial there”, she explained. ”I was waiting for my turn when a man – Seer Nox – appeared from a swirl of black smoke before my eyes. He warned me about what the place was really used for – to create Warriors for the Goddess of Chaos, who pretended to be Sae. The next day I was taken to the room where executions happened. It was the Purge Room in Caelum. I escaped by summoning the Soulless Army to my aid for the first time and I commanded them to destroy the island. I never prayed for salvation from any god after that day.”

”As I thought”, Rogue calmly said while the others were more or less shocked by her story.

”So the Seer of Darkness taught my mother? That's so amazing”, Aurora said, admiration written all over her face.

”The power to control the Soulless Army is inherited in the family line of Seers of Darkness?” Erza asked. Regina nodded. ”The papers I showed Natsu earlier claimed that you created the Soulless by ripping people's souls out of their bodies.”

”That's so far from the truth”, Regina said, looking amused. ”The Soulless were always loyal to Nox's family line. It just happens that I can control them because I was born with that power. That king knew nothing about anything so he made up lies whenever he could.”

”This is all very interesting and so on, but shouldn't we keep going?” Lector pointed out. ”We have a angry goddess coming for us after all.”

”The talking cat is correct”, Regina agreed. ”Let's go, unless you still have questions that anybody else would've figured out on their own by now?”

”I got my answers”, Erza said calmly.

_How can she be so calm when this woman mocks us at every chance she gets?_ Natsu wondered. He definitely felt like he wanted to punch Regina for insulting their intelligence over and over. How could Erza remain so calm about this?

********

Eventually the group entered the familiar looking, long white corridor where Natsu had encountered Lisanna for the first time after 3 years. It hadn't been a nice meeting as she had been taken over by the darkness. Natsu fought her while Nora had ran for Lucy's aid in the Vestige that was located behind the door at the other end of the corridor.

” _Are you walking down the memory lane, Natsu?”_ Lucy's voice asked him in his mind suddenly.

” _Yes, Luce, I am. How did you know?”_ Natsu asked her, feeling happy that Lucy sounded like her usual self again.

” _I'm not exactly sure how these Seeress powers work. I just sense things without even realizing it and I'm usually correct, right?”_

” _Yeah, you are”,_ Natsu agreed. _”Something's different about you, Luce, what's up?”_

” _You'll see soon enough, Natsu. I can't wait to see you guys again”,_ Lucy told him, and then her presence in his head disappeared.

Natsu couldn't help but feel curious about Lucy. Last time he had spoken to her, she had been furious and had threatened to kick his ass but now she was the same sweet Lucy that Natsu loved deeply. What had changed while they had been apart?

Regina walked towards a door on the other side of the corridor, and for a moment it seemed like she was going to open it, but instead she stopped and turned around to touch the wall on the right side of the door. A new door appeared on the spot, and she proceeded to touch it. It opened immediately.

”This way”, she just said and went in.

Everyone followed her into a dimly lit corridor with stone walls and floor. It looked ancient, probably centuries old. There were spider webs and dust everywhere where Natsu looked at.

He could also smell Lucy's sweet scent everywhere, and it made him feel impatient. It suddenly felt like the corridor went on forever for him.

”This area looks very old, Regina”, Theodore said thoughtfully. ”I don't think I've never even seen this part of the palace before.”

”You haven't because I wanted to keep this place a secret, Theo”, Regina said in a apologetic tone. ”It's not that I don't trust you though. I just had a feeling that if you knew some of these secrets, the king might find it out, too.”

”It's alright, Regina. I'm not angry about this. Just genuinely curious”, Theodore said and smiled.

”You are way too good for me”, Regina whispered as quietly as she could to him but Natsu heard it anyways. He kept it to himself though. Theodore and Regina deserved their moments now that they were finally together again.

”Zephyrus' Time Chamber is here”, Regina said after a short moment of silence. ”My ancestors sealed the area so nobody could use it for their own gain as it was still active. And I think it was a good idea because I believe the midget king would've used it if he knew it existed.”

”Yes, he would have”, Theodore agreed. ”He knew all the myths and stories of a mysterious chamber in Zephyrus that could be used for time travel.”

”See? That's exactly why this area was sealed.”

”Did the douchebag king ever ask you to explore the palace to find that chamber?” Sting asked him.

”He did, actually”, Theodore answered. ”It was when I came here for the first time to discuss the peace treaty with Regina but once I entered the palace, something told me that I should not dig up the secrets so I lied that I found nothing. He was furious and cursed Zephyrians to hell.”

Regina looked amused by the time he stopped talking. Then she said, ”I wish I had been there to see that outburst.”

Theodore chuckled and shook his head at his wife's antics.

Eventually the corridor ended – which made Natsu happy – and they arrived to a big hall looking room that looked like a throne room with a red carpet on the floor and a chair sitting on a pedestal on the other side of the room. Regina lead them towards the throne. There she snapped her fingers and a new door appeared on the wall behind it. It opened as she approached it.

The room behind the door was a dome shaped room that was dark except for a single ray of light that shone on the centre of the room. In the light stood a huge white stone door, that was wide open. And in front of the door stood a blonde girl, who turned around the moment the group entered the room. Her brown eyes shone with excitement and happiness as she came over to Natsu and wrapped her arms around his neck without saying a word.

Natsu smiled when he wrapped his arms around his Lucy. Finally.

”So this is the door to the Dimensions Beyond?” Aurora asked. ”I expected it to look completely different.”

”Maybe the gods wanted it to look very simple so it doesn't stand out if we happen to see one by accident”, Rogue, who was also looking at it, said.

”How did you open it, Lucy?” Regina asked.

Lucy let Natsu go and turned around to look at her. ”I had to embrace the Seeress of Guidance within me to open it. They didn't want me to open it as long as I was walking on the path of darkness so I had to choose my path again. I'm no longer a Warrior of Darkness.”

”It's alright, Lucy. You opened the door, and once we enter Dimensions Beyond, I don't think I'll need a Warrior of Darkness there”, Regina said.

_She looks grateful. I've never seen this side of Regina before. Except for the memories we saw in that messed up Zephyrus,_ Natsu thought.

”Did Sapientia appear to you, Lucy?” Aurora asked, knowing look on her face.

Lucy nodded. ”She was very kind to me. How did you know?”

”Your Mark of Chaos is gone.”

”It is?” Lucy asked and looked at her left arm.

Aurora was right. The mark that had been on it, was gone. Now there was a different mark on it – a golden ball with wings and a letter 'S' in the middle.

”I didn't even notice it before”, Lucy said. ”Does this mean I'm not a Messenger of Chaos anymore?” she asked.

Aurora nodded. ”You're now Sapientia's Seeress, Lucy. I think you're now walking on the path that was meant for you since you were born. How do you feel?”

Lucy was quiet for a moment, and then said, ”Like I'm whole again. That I'm going to a right direction with my life. Does it have a meaning?”

”It means that your soul is finally mended, Lucy. It's not shattered anymore.”

Lucy's face melt into the brightest smile that Natsu had ever seen and he felt how his heart skipped a beat. It was amazing that Lucy was finally fully back to being herself again.

”Luce, we gotta get out of here”, Natsu said and grinned. ”Time for some new adventures as a team, right?”

Lucy nodded, just as a swirl of black smoke appeared in front of them, and two figures, a man and a woman, emerged from the smoke. It was Nox who was holding a hand of a beautiful blonde woman with brown eyes. She looked like a older Lucy. And very familiar too. Natsu looked at her closer, and then realized it was that woman they had seen in the memory spell that Aurora had used in the Dark World during the battle with Nox.

”Are you Serena?” he asked before he could stop himself.

Serena nodded. ”Nice to meet you in person, Natsu”, she said. ”And yes, I know all of your names. I've been watching your journey for a very long time when I was imprisoned in Caelum.”

”We should get going”, Nox said before anyone else could open their mouths. ”We can talk about things later because I know our story interests some of you way too much”, he added, raising an eyebrow.

Everyone just nodded.

But as they began to walk towards the open door thinking they'd be safe for now, a sudden sound of someone snapping their fingers together was heard.

And the door to Dimensions Beyond exploded so powerfully that pieces of the door flew everywhere.

Natsu found himself laying on the floor few meters away, and didn't even remember how he had gotten there because things had happened so suddenly. There was dust floating everywhere in the air.

”Well, well, well”, said a cold, yet unpleasantly familiar voice. ”Were you trying to sneak out of _my_ timeline to avoid your fate? That's unacceptable.”

”Kaos...” Nox growled as the group got up.

The Goddess of Chaos stood in the spot where the door had stood only a moment ago. She had a victorious smile on the face that wasn't hers...


	37. The Last Stand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I'm here again with new chapters for this story. :D I'm gonna post the last two chapters in one go because I decided to do so if this story hits 1k hits mark by the end of this week and it did so here we go! :)
> 
> WARNING: There is a scene at the beginning of The Last Stand that might trigger anxiety and depression so feel free to skip that particular part of the chapter if you are struggling with that. 
> 
> Otherwise I wish you all happy reading♥

”Seer Nox, I never expected I'd see you ever again, but it seems to me that I was wrong”, Kaos said. She had a satisfied smirk on her face like as if she was about to win a game she had been playing for a very long time.

”You were always wrong about a lot of things”, Serena said angrily as Nox helped her up from the floor.

”You are a dumb human being, Serena. Believing my every word is in your blood as it was your ancestors who summoned me to this timeline in the first place. The first Seer gave me an oath on that very same day by saying his family line will always be my loyal servants”, Kaos sad.

Serena's eyes were full of pain and regret as she kept talking. She said nothing.

”And now”, Kaos continued. ”I will take what I've wanted for centuries”, she said, looking at Regina with greedy eyes.

Regina's eyes flashed with hatred and disgust immediately.

”Ah yes, I will take your body under my control and the Soulless will finally be under my command”, Kaos told her.

”Only in your wildest dreams”, Lucy said and stepped right in between the goddess and Regina. Theodore did the same with a serious look on his face.

”Then I shall deal with you two first”, Kaos agreed. She swung her hand, and pieces of the broken door rose into the air and flew towards them. They dodged them easily while Regina used her magic to just destroy the stones. Kaos used her magic again, and more stones began to fly, so Lucy and Theodore had to dodge them even quicker while Regina just barely even moved from her spot as the stones exploded into smaller pieces.

_She's only playing with us to distract me and Theodore,_ Lucy thought when she realized that she had separated herself from Theodore and Regina. She swore hard. Why hadn't she seen this coming?

Another stone flew at her. Lucy dodged it.

But didn't notice another one that flew at her from behind her – and got hit by it.

Kaos only smiled when she heard Lucy scream in surprise. Goddess snapped her fingers and a circle of darkness appeared beneath Lucy's feet. She soon noticed she was getting sucked into the hole of darkness and tried to get out.

It was no use.

She disappeared into the dark hole, and the last thing she saw was that the hole closed and she lost consciousness.

”What did you do to my Luce!?” Natsu yelled.

”She won't be able to get out of my darkness, Dragneel”, Kaos only said. ”I'm just teaching her a lesson she needs to learn – Messenger of Chaos will never be able to escape their fate.”

”Luce will never submit to your darkness”, Natsu said angrily. ”And even if she did, I would find a way to save her. Mark my words.”

Kaos looked amused. ”You are no match for me, Dragneel. Stop wasting your time on me.”

*********

Lucy opened her eyes. She noticed she was surrounded by the pitch black darkness. And dead silence. There was absolutely nothing in this place. Just a presence of... emptiness. She stood up wondering how she could find a way her way out – it was obvious that this was the chaotic darkness that Goddess of Chaos used as her power. But where was this place? Was it somewhere in the deepest depths of darkness?

”Natsu?” Lucy called. ”Erza! Gray!”

She was given no other answer than the echoes of her own voice.

”Regina, can you hear me?”

Again, no answer.

”I should've been more careful during that battle”, Lucy murmured, not wanting to hear the echoes of her own voice anymore. It felt like the darkness around her was mocking her.

”Alright, I gotta try to find a way out of here”, she said and took a deep breathe and told herself not to panic. She knew all too well that darkness would use her weaknesses against her. She had seen it happen to Lisanna a long time ago.

But as Lucy kept walking in the endless darkness, thoughts of desperation began to fill her mind no matter how much she tried to keep them away by thinking positively. It didn't help. Her mood began to fall, and her heart began to sting with sadness and despair. And panic. What if she couldn't get out? What if Kaos will only allow her to get out of here if she submits to her demands again? Lucy had no desire to walk on that destructive path again...

But what if it was the only option?

” _They won't be by your side forever...”_ whispered a voice in the darkness.

”What?” Lucy said, and stopped walking, looking around.

” _You can't get out of here...”_

”No, that's not true! I will get out!” Lucy yelled, feeling terrified. The darkness was using her fears against her, whispering the words mercilessly.

” _You will lose him...”_

”No, shut up!”

” _They will turn their backs on you...”_

” _You will lose him...”_

” _You can't be saved...”_

Lucy covered her ears. She didn't want to listen to this anymore. She really needed to get out of this prison of hers before she'd break down!

”I will always be a part of your heart you want it or not”, said a cold voice from behind her.

Lucy turned to look. She saw herself standing there. Except that this Lucy had yellow eyes, pale face with weird lines on the left cheek that rose right into her left eye. She had same lines on her left arm. Her clothes were torn and the dark smoke rose from her body.

”Who are you?” Lucy demanded to know, and wished she had a weapon to use, as she had a hunch that the ghost in front of her was here to kill her.

”I'm you. The future that awaits you as the servant of the great Goddess of Chaos”, the other Lucy said with no emotion.

”I will never submit to the chaotic darkness!”

”But you will. It's your destiny, Lucy Heartfilia, the greatest Messenger of Chaos...”

”No, I will never let you into my soul!” Lucy said, as she felt how something in the deepest part of her soul flattered at the sound of 'the greatest Messenger of Chaos'. Did she somewhere deep inside want that? To serve an evil goddess for all eternity? That's absolute insanity!

”Your mind can resist me, but your soul never will”, Chaos Lucy said. ”Because deep inside your desire to be stronger will always answer the darkness' call.”

”Then I have no other option but to destroy you so that chaotic future doesn't happen”, Lucy just simply said and automatically summoned for her Dark Javelins... and they still appeared to her? She had thought they wouldn't appear anymore now that she had chosen the path of light.

”So you wish to fight me?” Chaos Lucy only asked and smiled a little bit. ”So be it then”, she added and snapped her fingers. Copies of her began to appear everywhere and they walked around Lucy, whispering things that she didn't want to hear.

” _They will never stay by your side...”_

Lucy sent a Javelin at the replica.

” _You will always be the Messenger of Chaos, accept it...”_

Again, Lucy sent a Javelin at another replica.

” _They will only see you as the Messenger of Chaos...”_

Another one went down.

” _You'll always be weak...”_

Lucy struck that one down as well.

” _You'll be alone and miserable...”_

Lucy repeated her movements, but deep inside she began to feel less and less confident, as the replicas always regenerated in a different location, and kept whispering their merciless words. And they kept coming closer and closer to her as well.

” _You will lose him...”_

” _He won't love you forever...”_

” _He will turn his back on you eventually...”_

” _You can't be saved...”_

Lucy began to panic. How did these replicas know her fears so well?

” _You can't be saved...”_

” _You can't be saved...”_

” _Nobody will miss you...”_

” _Nobody really loves you...”_

Lucy dropped on her knees as the replicas kept whispering the words to her. It was too much for her to deal with. She could now feel how menacing chaotic darkness truly was. The darkness that Regina had was nowhere as near as terrifying as Kaos' was. Lucy wanted out of this place, and it had to happen now.

”I'm you, and you are me”, said Chaos Lucy and smiled victoriously as Lucy looked up to her. ”Accept your destiny, Lucy. It's the only way to get out of here.”

Lucy said nothing. It had dawned to her that the Chaos Lucy was right. She had no way out of this darkness without submitting to Kaos once again.

”You and I will be stronger together, Lucy. We'll be magnificent. Nobody will ever call us weak again...”

She was just about to agree on the Chaos Lucy's opinion when the whole place was engulfed in the brightest light that Lucy had ever seen.

Chaos Lucy's replicas all turned white and vanished screaming in pain.

Chaos Lucy was pushed away from Lucy by the power of light.

Serena stood between the two with her hand raised on above her head. The waves of light pushed Chaos Lucy further and further away from her and Lucy.

”Are you alright, Lucy?” Serena calmly asked.

”Yeah...” Lucy said, amazed by the power that the Seeress of Light possessed.

Chaos Lucy tried to walk past the waves of light towards Lucy with a furious look in her eyes. She didn't care that her face had begun to form cracks here and there. Lucy could also see black liquid falling down from her yellow eyes. It wasn't a pleasant sight. In fact, it was frightening.

”I will need your power to destroy her”, Serena told Lucy, and offered her other hand to the blonde.

Lucy stood up and took her hand into hers. She immediately felt how her own power connected with Serena's light magic, making the waves of light even stronger.

”You're mine, Lucy!” Chaos Lucy screamed as she tried to get to Lucy. ”You will always be mine!”

She began to have more cracks in her face and on her arms as well, and more liquid came from her eyes, but she still kept trying to reach Lucy.

”I will never be yours”, Lucy told her. ”I will always belong to the light.”

As she said it, Chaos Lucy stopped walking completely, and her eyes turned white, as did the rest of her body as well. Then she vanished into thin air.

But Lucy couldn't help but feel something familiar in this place suddenly – like as if she had felt it's presence somewhere before as well.

_No way... It can't be..._ she thought when she suddenly understood what it meant.

”What a problematic enemy indeed”, Serena interrupted her thoughts and smiled. ”How about we join the others now? I think they have distracted Kaos long enough to give me time to get you out of here.”

”Sure, let's do it”, Lucy just said. It was time to get some answers from Kaos. If Lucy's theory was correct, there would be a hell to pay.

Serena nodded and a swirl of golden smoke covered them both up.

*********

In the dome hall of Zephyrus' palace, the battle against the Goddess of Chaos had been going on for a while and even though Natsu and others had given it their all, it seemed that the goddess wasn't affected at all by it. Natsu's team, on the other hand, was already starting to feel tired but they kept going because if they didn't, she'd win and they all knew it wouldn't mean anything good for anybody on their timeline.

”Look at you weaklings”, Kaos said smugly. ”You're desperately trying to stop me yet you fail miserably. Why don't you just accept your defeat?”

”You have to kill us because we're not going to live on your timeline no matter what”, Sting told her as he panted.

”Your lives on my timeline would've been useless to me anyways”, Kaos agreed and she snapped her fingers. Another set of red balls appeared and began to fly everywhere in the room. Natsu dodged them as best as he could. Even though they looked like they were on fire, they didn't smell like it at all, and Natsu knew he shouldn't eat them. He was pretty sure that they were poisonous and would've killed him instantly.

Kaos laughed every time a red ball almost hit someone, and then summoned more of them on the battlefield. It was annoying how obvious it was that this goddess was just playing around, and wasn't taking them seriously at all while Natsu and others had to use a ton of their power to even land a hit on this woman. Natsu had started to wonder if she could be defeated at all, but didn't want to give those thoughts a place in his mind. There had to be a way to do it, right? A weakness of some sort, anything!

Suddenly, a swirl of golden smoke appeared in the middle of the battle, and a wave of light shone right through it. Kaos had to cover her eyes as the light was too bright and thus, her attacks came to an halt.

Lucy and Serena stepped through the smoke, Serena holding her hand above her head to stop the attacks. Lucy, on the other hand, had a firm look in her eyes as she looked at the goddess.

”You sent Lisanna into that darkness, didn't you? The very same darkness where I was just now, didn't you!?” she said angrily as Serena put her hand down. ”It wasn't Regina's darkness that drove her insane, it was yours!”

Kaos smiled while everyone else looked at Lucy in shock. ”Oh yes, I remember that dumb little girl. She was very easy to manipulate into becoming my test subject.”

”Test subject?” Lucy looked disgusted.

”Of course. How else would I been able to see how wild the Soulless Army truly gets if they're allowed to roam free?”

”You're disgusting! You used her the whole time!”

”Yes, I did. But didn't you hate her from the bottom of your heart at that point, Lucy? I was able to feel how dark your soul became the more you were in her presence and she taunted you. It was wonderful. My experiment was a overwhelming success”, Kaos said and laughed. ”Lisanna didn't even realized I was controlling her the whole time!”

_Lisanna... was under Kaos' control?_ Natsu thought, feeling disgusted.

”Oh yes, Dragneel, you murdered your friend without even trying to think about a possibility that she had been possessed. It was rather amusing to watch”, Kaos said, satisfied with herself.

”As I thought”, Regina just calmly said. ”I had a bit of a hunch that you might be playing your little games again. But”, she added as she walked past them all, ”to use me in them is unforgivable, and I will end you right here and now.”

Regina's voice was pure evil as she kept talking, and Natsu could feel her power rising. And her eyes were stone cold. And furious. Natsu remembered this Regina so well. That's how she had been after she had come out of Lucy's soul, and until Horologium Saeculum had been used. It was only after that she had become more human.

But the Regina he now looked at was definitely the same that had thrown Lucy out of the flying fortress in Crocus 794X.

”It'd be easier for you if you just submitted yourself and your Soulless Army to me”, Kaos told Regina, who then threw a ball of darkness at the goddess as an answer.

”Hmph, have it your way then”, Kaos only said.

She snapped her fingers and a transparent wall appeared to separate her and Regina from everybody else. Then the two women began the magic show that Natsu had never seen before – they began throwing spells at each other with tremendous speed. He wasn't even sure what most of those spells were called, but he felt how powerful they were.

Regina eventually summoned the Soulless Army to her aid in the battle. They formed a whirlwind around Kaos and Natsu could see how they ripped off parts of the body that the goddess was using to disguise herself. Kaos didn't even scream even though it obviously hurt as the blood came from the wounds that the Soulless did to her.

”You have no right to wear that skin on yourself if it's not yours”, Regina just told her as the Soulless continued their merciless chewing on Kaos' body. ”You see, you can't even use most of your power when you use that disguise. If I'm planning to cause you pain and suffering, I'm doing it to _you,_ not on Sae's body”, she added as the Soulless whirlwind left the goddess alone and returned to Regina's body.

”Ah, you carry the Soulless within your very soul”, Kaos just said as she took off the remnants of Sae's body.

She was pale. Her eyes were yellow, and long black hair, long red nails. Her fingers were mostly black and the color melt together with the pale white skin on the wrists. The same black color also surrounded her yellow eyes, making them look a bit too crazy for Natsu's liking. She also had a ripped dress on.

”I can see why you need a body to hide yourself”, Regina only said. ”And now, as promised, I will bring you pain...”

She swung her hand and ten dark knives appeared in front of her. They flew towards the goddess who immediately had a purple shield appear in front of her to shield her from the attack. Then, suddenly, the shield broke apart and the pieces flew at Regina, who just teleported out of the way.

”What a amateur trick to copy my attack”, Regina told her. ”So I will use attacks you can't copy instead.”

And she summoned the Soulless Army to the battlefield again. They flew out of her body and Regina looked like it happened every day. The Soulless surrounded the goddess again, and chewed on her again. And this time, the goddess did scream because there was nothing to protect herself with.

”She can't use the Soulless forever”, Theodore said quietly. ”She will be worn out eventually...”

”That's what the goddess wants”, Aurora gasped. ”She wants mother to be weak so she'll be easier to possess!”

”We need to find a way to stop this battle before it happens”, Natsu said, and he touched the wall – and got zapped.

”Ouch, that looked nasty”, Sting said. ”Are you ok, Natsu?”

”I'm fine. Just don't touch the wall”, Natsu said as he shook his head. ”Shit, that was a strong zap.”

”Let's destroy the wall”, Nox said. ”Serena?” he asked his beloved, who nodded.

”I suggest you step away from the wall a bit. We're going to break it apart”, Serena said as she took Nox's hand.

Natsu and others nodded and stepped further away to look at the battle going on and how Nox and Serena joined their powers together to break down the electrified wall. They rose their hands into the air and black light and white light flew into the wall.

On the other side of the wall Regina had begun to look paler than before, and Natsu could see that she was losing her magic power already. Yet she still kept going, keeping the Soulless ripping apart the Goddess of Chaos.

Soon a loud cracking sound interrupted the ongoing battle as the joined powers of Serena and Nox caused enough pressure on the wall to make it crack open here and there. They kept using the magic until the whole wall from the floor until the roof was full of cracks and it all came down soon afterwards.

Kaos was furious and disappointed at the same time. She hadn't expected the others to break the wall before she had done what she had planned, which was to steal Regina's body.

”You are smarter than I thought you'd be”, Kaos told them. ”But since you can play your little games, I'm sure that so can I...” she added and snapped her fingers.

Aurora disappeared from Natsu's side and appeared next to Kaos within the whirlwind of Soulless.

”No, Aura!” Regina yelled and put an stop to her attack. The Soulless returned to her immediately.

”Ah, yes, your daughter is one of your weaknesses”, Kaos said and touched Aurora's cheek with a finger that was soaked in the goddess' own blood. She had bleeding gushes everywhere on her body. It wasn't beautiful. The Soulless had been brutal.

”And I know your other weakness as well”, Kaos added, looking at Theodore. ”But I think I'll have use for your daughter on my timeline. Your husband, on the other hand, is useless so he can be erased from existence like Lucy and the others.”

She snapped her fingers and a cage appeared on the side of the battlefield. Then she snapped her fingers again, and all Heartfilias – except Theodore – were transported inside it.

”Now that the valuables are out of the way, I can concentrate on you trash. I can't believe how you even _dared_ to betray me the way you did, Lucy. You would have been magnificent on the new timeline as my Messenger but you decide to be weak instead”, Kaos said. ”I shouldn't have trusted the job in your hands, even though you finished it remarkably well.”

”I have no desire to become your slave”, Lucy spat. ”Chaos Lucy will never be born now.”

”What a pity. Oh well, it's time for you and your friends become nonexistent then”, Kaos told them.

*********

Lucy felt angry. She was angry at herself for not realizing what Lisanna's situation really was because now that she thought about it, Kaos spoke exactly the same way that Lisanna had done. And the fact that she had been calling herself the Goddess of Chaos in Crocus 1300X had been a clear hint of who it had truly been. Why hadn't she realized it right then? She had needed Rogue to give her the idea that Sae hadn't been who she thought she was.

Kaos looked at them as if they were cockroaches compared to her as she snapped her fingers and two dark whirlwinds appeared next to her on the both sides. From those appeared two pale, white skinned, yellow eyed human beings who had the same lines on their faces and arms that the Chaos Lucy had had. Lucy immediately knew these creatures would be dangerous as hell if they were able to talk.

”Oh no”, Serena said from the cage. ”Those are Aqua and Terra...”

Lucy was shocked. They were Seers from Caelum?

”Yes, indeed”, Kaos said, satisfied. ”The only ones who were truly loyal to me. They were so loyal that they did everything I asked after Caelum had been thrown into time because of Regal Heartfilia's Horologium Saeculum. Terra and Aqua were perfect servants in disguise”, Kaos explained.

Lucy could feel Serena's anger everywhere in the room.

”You monster, how dare you turn them into this!?” she yelled.

”I didn't, Serena”, Kaos calmly said, but she was clearly amused by her outburst. ”They became like this as time went by because when you're an ally with me, it happens. You'll become a perfect Chaos Warrior. I had plenty of them lurking in Caelum all those years and you never even thought about investigating the matter.”

”So every time someone got sick in Caelum's palace and they disappeared, they were turning into these creatures? Disgusting!”

”That's how Chaos works, Serena”, Kaos told her calmly. Then she turned her attention on Lucy and others, who were shocked over how evil this goddess truly was. ”Come on, let's play a little game. If you can defeat these Chaos Warriors, you'll free Lucy's ancestors and if they win, the whole Heartfilia clan will cease to exist”, she told them.

Lucy felt how cold her insides became when she heard her say that. If her ancestors died, Lucy would also die, and she didn't want that!

”I won't lose”, she firmly said and summoned her Javelins to her aid.

”How come –” Natsu began, looking at Lucy's weapon confused look on his face.

”I honestly don't know but it doesn't really matter. We need to get my ancestors out of their prison!”

Natsu nodded. ”I'll take you on”, he told Kaos. ”I've wanted to beat you to a pulp for a while now and I'm gonna do it now!”

”We'll join you too”, Sting informed while Rogue only nodded in agreement.

”I told you not to waste your time”, Kaos said and smiled. ”But since you are so eager to die, I will let you out of your misery then.”

”We'll concentrate on the Seers”, Lucy told the rest as the Dragon Slayers began to attack Kaos. ”Me and Erza will take care of the greenish Seer, and you and Theo take care of the blue Seer, Gray”, she explained.

They nodded and teamed up.

Lucy didn't know which one – Terra or Aqua – she was fighting, but she was going to defeat this monster.

”I think this one is Seer Terra”, Erza said as if she knew what Lucy was thinking. ”I saw a painting on the wall in Caelum when we escaped”, she explained.

”So Gray and Theodore are fighting Aqua”, Lucy assumed as she glanced over at the other battle. Blue creature was using water based attacks on the guys. Maybe Terra would be using earth based attacks? He's name sounded like it'd have something to do with that element.

She was right.

A moment after that thought had come to her mind, Terra had used an attack that made spikes rise from the earth. They came at the girls, who had to dodge them. Then, Lucy proceeded to use her Javelins on the man. He used a shield made of earth to protect himself, and that was soon crushed by Erza's Moon Flash attack.

”They don't seem very powerful”, Erza murmured to Lucy, who nodded.

Gray and Theodore had probably come to the same conclusion as the girls since they had begun to combine their attacks to defeat Aqua. Theodore used his sword's wind abilities to shield himself from Aqua's attacks while Gray attacked with his ice magic.

”Kaos is only playing with us. She's waiting for something”, Lucy murmured. ”Let's play along until we see what it is.”

Erza nodded and dodged another earth spike attack from Terra. Lucy did too, and then threw one of her Javelins towards the man, but as usual, he used his shield to stop the attack. It was evident that for Lucy this battle was pretty pointless one to join in. Her weapons hit no one.

_Good thing I have my Seeress power though,_ she thought as she let her weapon go. She then proceeded to use protective spells on the Dragon Slayers as their enemy was stronger than the Seers were. They needed her help a lot more.

”Lucy, what are you doing?” Rogue asked as she joined them.

”Erza and others can deal with the Seers just fine”, Lucy said quietly. ”They're a lot weaker than they look”, she added.

Rogue nodded and said nothing. Instead, he proceeded to attack the goddess once more.

_This goddess doesn't seem to have many wounds on her body yet,_ Lucy thought as she used her Gold Shield skill to block Kaos from hurting the Dragon Slayers who were already panting while the goddess just stood there, looking amused.

”Are you done using the basic attacks on me?” she asked. ”Or is this the best you can do? Look at you, you're already panting and I haven't had any hits.”

”You already bleed from Regina's attacks though, bitch”, Sting told her and sent a ray of light at her – which the goddess dodged easily.

Lucy saw how Gray and Theodore killed Aqua behind Kaos' back – Gray froze Aqua on the spot and Theodore impailed the frozen woman with Stormbringer. Aqua screamed in pain as the ice broke down from getting hit and she fell on the floor and disappeared into a black hole that had appeared on the floor.

Kaos didn't even twitch at the scream of death of her precious Chaos Warrior. Instead, she just used the pieces of the destroyed door to Dimensions Beyond to play around with the Dragon Slayers, who just destroyed the blocks when they came at them. Natsu used his breath attack on the goddess as an answer, but she just waved it off as if it was just a bug on her face.

”That only tickles, Dragneel. I thought you're more powerful than this”, Kaos told him.

She snapped her fingers and the remaining door pieces rose from the floor. Happy caught him just in time when a big piece was about to hit him and they flew in the air as Kaos tried to hit them with the pieces over and over again. They moved so fast that Lucy couldn't keep up with it and thus the usage of the Golden Shield got more difficult.

”Alright, maybe this will work...” Sting murmured as Kaos was so concentrated on killing Natsu that she had forgotten the other two Dragon Slayers completely. Sting proceeded to attack the goddess, but not with magic, but with his fists. He ran towards her and rose his hand to hit her, but the purple shield from earlier appeared right in front of her, and Sting got electrified by it. He fell on the floor unconcious.

”Sting!” Lucy yelled. ”Rogue, can you help him?”

”I'm on it”, Shadow Dragon Slayer said and disappeared into the ground. He then moved right under Sting and pulled him into the shadows with him. He then reappeared from the ground next to Lucy, who pulled Sting out of the hole. She then touched his neck to make sure he was still alive – and sighed, when she felt his pulse under her finger.

”I think she drained his magic power out of him”, Lucy told Rogue. ”He'll be ok if we let him rest.”

Another scream of death echoed in the hall suddenly as Erza, in her Black Wing Armor, killed Terra with another quick Moon Flash attack. The man turned into a pile of purple balls that faded into the air as the result. This caught Kaos' attention as the cage where she had imprisoned the Heartfilias disappeared into thin air.

”No!” Kaos yelled at the sight of it and Lucy noticed how she began to lose her composure.

She looked even more agitated when a bright ray of light appeared from the hole in the roof and once it came down and hit the floor, a fast beam of light followed. Once it hit the floor, it exploded and the light was so bright that everyone had to cover their eyes for a minute. Once the light disappeared, everyone saw a golden trident stand on the spot.

” _It's time to fullfill your destiny, Saviour...”_ echoed Sapientia's voice in the hall.

”Yes, it is time”, Nox agreed and grabbed the trident into his hand. It shone brightly as if it recognized him as its master.

”Wait, what is this?” Gray demanded to know.

”It's a ages old prophecy that the first Seer of Darkness made at the time of his death”, Serena explained. ”'When the chaotic menace appears, and brings the End of Days upon us, a Saviour blessed by the Gods of Time appears from the shadows and purifies the Chaos, and brings back the Light in the citadel of the night'”, she quoted.

”I always knew we were involved in something bigger”, Erza sighed. ”So, what now?”

”We will not disturb the fated encounter”, Serena answered. ”Take it as a chance to rest, everyone. You're all exhausted.”

Nobody complained because she wasn't wrong about that.

Kaos looked livid as she summoned a silver trident that's blade smoked in purple smoke into her hand and said, ”Yes, it is time. And just like the rest of you Saviours, I will end your existence.”

”So be it”, Nox agreed, and attacked.

*********

As the fierce battle had gone on for a good while, it was evident that Kaos and Nox were not going to give in easily. One of them would leave the battlefield alive, and the other one would be a dead corpse on the floor. They landed attacks on each other, causing wounds on the opponents bodies as they went on. They only used weapons, and no magic. Lucy wondered if it was because of the prophecy. Were they supposed to be equal in this final showdown so both of them would have a chance to win? Lucy didn't understand it at all.

”Why aren't they using magic?” Sting, who had waken up a while ago, asked.

”It's not allowed”, Serena said. ”Because with magic, Kaos would win easily because chaotic darkness is more powerful than Nox's darkness. But Nox can defend himself against it with the Soulless Army just as easily so they really can't kill each other that way. With weapons they're more equal.”

Lucy nodded. It was just as she had suspected.

”Sapientia's Trident, the weapon Nox is carrying, holds the power of the purest light. It's Kaos' only true weakness”, Serena continued. ”The Soulless Army can hurt her because not even gods can defend themselves from their power as they hurt the soul itself, and it hurts gods as well.”

”So that's why Regina's Soulless Army was able to make her bleed”, said Rogue. ”Interesting.” Nox got a hit from Kaos' trident. He took few steps back but he had a look of determination in his eyes either way. He immediately returned the attack and Kaos screamed when the golden trident wounded her arm.

Kaos was bleeding more and more as the battle went on. Nox had wounds as well, but not like the goddess. He was panting from exhaustion as the battle had went on for who knows how long, and it was evident that it would end soon – or that's the hunch that Lucy had.

”Why don't you just accept defeat and die?” Kaos asked Nox.  
”I can't. I have to put an end to your stupid little games”, he just answered.

”I really hate you and all the Seers of Darkness before you. You were nothing but trouble for me since day one...”

”I'm not sorry. You brought this on yourself, Kaos. Just accept the defeat and let me let you out of your misery”, Nox told her calmly.

Kaos laughed. ”As if I'll take orders from human trash like you, Nox, I will end you!”

”How?” Nox asked. ”You can't even wound me properly no longer. If I summoned the Soulless Army here now, they would kill you in an instant. That's how weak _you_ have become.”

Kaos said nothing. Instead, a pair of black wings appeared on her back out of nowhere and she rose into the air. She raised her trident above her head, and was about to throw it at Nox, but got impailed by Sapientia's Trident instead. Once it had gone through the goddess, it reappeared in Nox's hand. Kaos fell into the ground, and Lucy noticed that she had golden lines everywhere on her body where blood veins were supposed to be.

”This is your end, Goddess of Chaos”, Nox said calmly as he stood next to her. He raised the trident above his head and then struck it through Kaos' chest.

Kaos' scream of death was so loud that everyone had to cover their ears. She turned bright orange as the power of the trident went into her body, obviously burning her alive from the inside. Eventually she rose into the air, and turned white, and her body exploded into white pieces. In the middle of all the pieces there was a bright ball of light where all the pieces of the goddess' existence were sucked in. The ball disappeared right afterwards.

Sapientia's Trident fell on the floor and vanished.

”Is she gone?” Happy asked. ”Is she really gone?”

”Yeah, she is”, Nox confirmed. ”Kaos is no more, and we can all go home... somehow.”

Everyone looked at each other. Even though they were happy that they had survived the battle – thanks to Nox – they had no idea of what was going to happen next. What if they weren't able to find their way back home?

”No, there has to be a way to go home”, Lucy said aloud. ”We can't get lost in time. Not at this point...”

”Hmm, I can't contact Sapientia at all”, Aurora said.

Then, the familiar sounds of ringing bells began. And at that very same moment, the walls of the dome rose into the air. They could see how the flaming ruins of Crocus were gradually rising into the air as well, and parts of it, and Regina's palace, were getting sucked into a huge hole beneath them.

”Something's going on here”, Natsu said. ”Luce, do you know what this is?”

And somehow, Lucy knew. She smiled. ”We're going home.”

”I wish we could've had more time to talk”, Serena said. She and Nox were both shining in white light. ”But I'm still glad I got to meet all of you face to face.”

Lucy smiled. ”So am I.”

Serena and Nox both smiled as they vanished into the air.

”What happened to them?” Erza asked.

”The timeline is fixing itself”, Lucy explained. ”Everything that has happened will be erased, and remade to follow the path that was originally meant for us.”

”That means we're going to lose our memories”, Natsu sighed. He pulled Lucy to him. ”I love you. I will love you on all timelines, no matter what.”

Lucy nodded. She didn't want to forget what they had had. He was finally hers and she was finally his and now they'd forget it all? It was unfair!

”I love you, too, Natsu, on every possible timeline there is”, she whispered and hold him tight for a moment that felt like a forever.

”I'm pretty sure you two will find yourselves if it's meant to be”, Aurora told them smiling. Then she sighed. ”For me it's sadder because I can never be with him...” she glanced at Rogue, who looked at her just as sadly as she looked at him.

”Maybe we can be together if we happen to be born in the same time somewhere”, he told her.

”I hope so!” Aurora said and hugged him tightly.

She had began to shine like Serena and Nox had. Lucy turned to look at Regina and Theodore, who were also shining in white light.

”I hope you two will find each other again”, she told them.

Regina smiled. ”Me and Theodore are meant to be, Lucy. We will always find each other, no matter what place or time it is.”

And with that, she, Theodore and Aurora vanished into thin air.

The floor beneath Lucy's and others' feet disappeared. They could now see the massive whirlwind in the mist of time. And in the middle of the said whirlwind there was a hole where Crocus and Zephyrus' palace had been sucked in. And now, it was Lucy's and others' turn to go in.

”I'm feeling sleepy...” Natsu said and yawned.

”It's alright, Natsu, it's meant to happen. We're going home to Magnolia”, Lucy smiled. ”Everyone, don't fight against it. It's the most peaceful way for us to return to our time. Just close your eyes, and Time will lead us home”, she calmly told everybody.

They nodded, and one by one, they lost their conciousness as they fell asleep.

Lucy made sure they were all asleep before she allowed herself to do the same. She smiled as she closed her eyes.

_Please give all of us what we deserve, Sapientia,_ was the last thought as the sleepiness took over her. She let it take her because she knew that once she'd wake up, she'd be in her own bed, and her beloved dragon right by her side.

” _I will grant you your heart's most dearest wish, my child”,_ echoed a voice in the mist as the Seeress of Guidance fell into the hole. The mist covered up the hole, closing it, turning it into a crystal clear sky above Earthland in the year 791X.


	38. A Place to Call Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the last chapter of Shattered, It's not as long as the other chapters as I was already losing my spark to write this story but I managed to write a decent last chapter for it anyways even though I had to rewrite the whole chapter once. It's really hard to write a good ending for a story for some reason. I always struggle with those a lot and then feel super proud when the chapter is decent and logical. :'D 
> 
> Also, a chance for a sequel always exists. I have an idea that keeps bugging me, and I might start working on it. This chapter was built with that possibility in my mind. :)
> 
> Well, anyways, here's the last chapter, enjoy! ♥

_Magnolia  
_ _Year: 791X  
_

Another lighting strike.

Followed by loud rumbling noise that made the window glass shake.

The rain and the wind.

The storm had been going on for hours, and Lucy couldn't sleep. She laid in her warm bed, watching the raging storm quietly waiting for it to pass. She had no desire to get out of her bed because she knew her room would be really cold.

But she had really wanted to rest properly. Yesterday's mission had been really exhausting and Lucy had come home immediately just to get the rest she wanted.

But no. Of course the insane storm had to start and wake her up.

”Okay, nature, you're really awesome and all but could you please calm down already? It's 6:00am and I've been watching you go crazy for two hours now”, Lucy mumbled.

Another lighting strike and loud rumbling was the only answer she was given.

”You really aren't very co-operative, huh?” Lucy sighed and sat up. Maybe it was better if she just gave up hope that she'd get some sleep and just eat an early breakfast instead. And maybe read some books or write something down? Yes, both where good ideas.

Lucy got out of her bed and made her way to the bathroom where she washed her face and teeth, and brushed her hair. She was about to put her hairbrush down into the cup where she had all of her combs and other hairbrushes but decided to take out all the loose hair strands instead.

For some reason, for the past three weeks, she had been burning hairballs to make sure nobody could get them. She didn't know why she did that, but she still did it. It was like an instinct to make sure that she was safe and... that Natsu was safe. That nobody messed with him and his mind. Lucy didn't know why she was so protective over his memories of herself and she knew that people would think she was going nuts.

That wouldn't surprise Lucy at all.

After burning down the newest hairball, Lucy left the bathroom and went to the kitchen to get breakfast. She made herself hot chocolate because it was cold, and toast that she put only butter on this time. Then she took out a blueberry muffin from the fridge and put it on the plate next to the toast. She then walked over to her table where she always wrote her stories on and began to work on her newest story while eating.

*******

Lucy really hated raincoats as they never looked fashionable, but she put it on anyways before going outside into the storm. The sounds of the rain and rumbling were even more louder as she hurried towards the guild where she could just take it off at last. It was also warmer there, and more than that, she'd have company as she really didn't like to be alone that much.

But lately her best friend, Natsu, had been really distant from her. He didn't even sneak up to her house at night like he used to and it really bothered her. Even though she often yelled at him for coming there, deep inside she loved his closeness and warmth, and when he wasn't there, she felt sad and missed him.

She was most definitely in love with her best friend, and couldn't deny it from herself anymore. She wanted him to know it too before it was too late. But they hadn't really spoken to one another for some time now for some reason. Had Lucy already lost her chance? Or did she hurt him somehow without knowing? In either of those cases, Lucy's heart would break. She didn't want to lose him no matter what. She would always make sure she'd be there for him.

Lucy arrived the guild. At last. The walk through the storm had felt like it had taken hours, when it was probably just an hour or so. She walked into the building, and took the coat off immediately. It felt really good to be out of that plastic dress – her nickname for the oversized coat – at last and she walked over to the bar, where Mirajane was already serving drinks and breakfast for everybody.

”Hi, Mira”, Lucy greeted.

”Hey, Lucy, I didn't expect to see you here during the storm”, Mirajane said, looking surprised.

”It was really lonely at my apartment so I decided to come here instead”, Lucy said as she sat down on the stool. ”Can I have a milkshake? Any flavor is fine.”

”Sure, Lucy”, Mirajane said and smiled. ”I thought Natsu and Happy were with you. They were disappointed you left so early last night”, she continued as she began to make her milkshake.

”I was just too tired and went home early. I guess they wanted to respect that”, Lucy shrugged. ”I don't know what's going on, Mira”, she suddenly said. ”He's so distant and refuses to open up to me. Have I done something wrong?”

”I don't think so, Lucy”, Mirajane said and gave her the milkshake. ”It's probably a matter of the heart”, she said and winked.

_What the hell did she mean by a 'matter of the heart'?”_ Lucy wondered as Mirajane went to serve Wendy and Carla, who just entered the guild soaking wet.

”Why can't people talk to me so that I'll understand them?” Lucy murmured as she took a sip of the milkshake. ”Would make things so much easier...”

The storm was still raging outside when Natsu Dragneel entered the guild. At this point Lucy had joined Levy to discuss the said 'matter of the heart', because it really bothered the blonde. Natsu, on the other hand, was his own cheerful self when he came into the guild, soaking wet as he could easily dry himself up with his magic. He greeted Lucy with a his familiar grin – which Lucy loved dearly – and then went to get something to drink while Happy came over to Lucy.

”You weren't at your house!” blue cat accused her as a greeting.

”I'm sorry, Happy. The storm woke up really early and I got bored with staying there so I came here instead”, Lucy said and smiled. ”I'll buy you some red snapper later today once the storm has passed, ok?”

Happy's expression turned into a excited one immediately. ”Aye sir!”

”Luce”, said Natsu's voice.

Lucy looked up at him and smiled. ”Hi, Natsu.”

”I want to talk to you about something”, he said serious look in his eyes even though he was smiling a little. ”Could you come with me for a minute?”

”Sure, Natsu”, Lucy said and got up from her seat. She was really curious about this because Natsu seemed a little bit nervous as well. ”I'm sorry I wasn't at my house today, Happy told me you were looking for me”, she added as they went outside on the backyard because it had enough shelter to keep them from getting wet.

”Yeah, we were. I wanted to talk to you about this little issue I have”, Natsu said. ”But you weren't home so I knew I'd find you at the guild because where else would you go, right?”

”Exactly”, Lucy smiled. ”I knew you'd come to the guild sooner or later so I didn't leave a note for you. Maybe I should have because Happy wasn't very happy...”

”Nah, Happy loves you no matter what. Besides, you promised to buy him fish so he has probably forgotten the whole thing already”, he chuckled.

”So, what did you want to talk about?” Lucy asked as they stopped walking a little further from the door – which was understandable, because at least Happy would eavesdrop the conversation – and Natsu turned around to face her but said nothing.

”Well, first of all, I'm sorry for being so distant from you lately. I had a lot of things on my mind that I needed to sort out myself”, Natsu began and smiled.

Lucy nodded. ”It's alright, Natsu. Although you could have spoken to me about it too. We are best friends, after all.”

”No, this was something I had to do by myself. Just me alone”, Natsu said. ”I also came to a realization last night and I really wanted to talk to you about it, Luce.”

”You're making me more and more curious now, Natsu”, Lucy said and smiled.

”Yes, I can see it in your eyes, Luce.”

”Tell me.”

”Well, aren't you a bit hasty now?”

”Stop teasing me, Natsu! Just say it!” Lucy impatiently said. He always did things like this to her. It was both fun and annoying to her.

Natsu chuckled. ”Alright. Well, you are probably aware that there's something between us, right? Something really deep that we don't have with anyone else.”

Lucy nodded. _So he has noticed the intense attraction between us, too?_ She thought.

”So I was thinking that we should go on a date and see where it leads from there, Luce.”

Lucy's heart skipped a beat. ”Are you really asking me on a date, Natsu?”

”Yeah, I did. What do you think?” he said, looking hopeful.

”I'm obviously going to say 'yes'. Is that even a question? We've been attracted to one another since we first met, Natsu. This was going to happen sooner or later anyways so let's do it!” Lucy said excitedly and wrapped her arms around his waist.

Mostly because the guy she wanted was close but also because she felt cold as hell.

Natsu chuckled and wrapped his arms around her as well. ”I'm so fired up”, he mumbled.

”That's not a very romantic thing to say, Natsu”, Lucy whispered and giggled. ”But it's you so it's fine...” she sighed.

It felt too good to be in his arms again.

”Maybe we should go back inside”, Natsu said quietly as he let her go. ”You're shivering from the coldness.”

”Yeah, it's cold out here”, Lucy agreed. ”But first...” she added and just spontaneously kissed him on the lips. Natsu, after the first shock, just relaxed and returned the kiss full of passion.

It felt like something that was meant to be.

”I could kiss you forever like this but you might get sick with cold so I'm taking you inside instead”, Natsu murmured against her lips.

”That's not a bad idea”, Lucy giggled even though shivers of coldness were going through her body at the same time.

They walked back inside where Happy was flying around from person to person carrying a money pouch in his paws. Everyone put jewels into the pouch and Happy looked tremendously proud of himself for something.

”Oh, what is this?” Natsu asked the blue feline.

”I won the bet we I made with everyone two days ago!” he answered as he flew past them to Master Makarov, who also put few jewels into the pouch.

”What kind of a bet was it?” Lucy asked, even though it was pretty obvious to her.

”It was about you two”, Erza said from the table she was eating her strawberry cake slice. ”He made a bet with everyone that today Natsu will ask you out and you'll agree. Others disagreed of course, because they don't seem to trust Natsu to be able to do it.”

”But I did”, Natsu grinned and wrapped his arm around Lucy's shoulders.

”And I said yes”, Lucy said and snuggled closer to him as she was still feeling cold.

”See? I told you!” Happy exclaimed. ”I'm so rich, I can buy a ton of red snapper with these!”

”I think he's addicted to that fish”, Natsu murmured to Lucy. ”He wants nothing but that now.”

”I shouldn't have let him have a taste”, Lucy agreed.

”Maybe it'll pass and he'll hate it eventually...”

”Let's hope so. That fish is pretty expensive after all.”

”I will never stop loving red snapper!” Happy told them.

”Wanna make a bet?” Natsu asked.

”No”, Happy absentmindedly said, as he sat down on the table and began to count the jewels he had won.

”This kitty is shoving his victory into our faces”, Wakaba commented.

”Never thought Happy's such a savage winner”, Macao agreed.

Everyone laughed at the obvious joke – even Happy did.

It was good to be home.

*******

_Sabertooth HQ  
_ _Crocus_

Everyone at the guild was amazed. They had a Time Mage from Zephyrus in their guild. She had arrived early in the morning, before the intense thunderstorm had reached Crocus. When she entered the building, she had expressed her desire to join them now that they had a new Master. Sting had been asked to come meet her, and he had done so. It was very unusual for a Time Mage to come to this city as the past events between Zephyrians and Fioreans had not been a very good one. But this young woman with black hair and piercing blue eyes had done the unexpected.

”Why do you want to join our guild?” Sting asked her.

”I don't have skills in scientific areas that Zephyrians usually do have. I'm most skilled at magic”, said the girl calmly.

”But Zephyrus is located in the North Fiore, and they have a bunch of guilds there to choose from, young lady. Why did you choose Sabertooth?”

”Because it would shock everyone the best back at home”, girl answered and smiled. ”They told me I can't pull this off but I want to prove them wrong.”

”Ah, I see”, Sting said, furrowing his eyebrows. ”Also, I didn't get your name, could you repeat it?”

”My name is Regal. Regal Heartfilia.”

_Oh hell, are you kidding me?_ Sting thought.

Zephyrian Heartfilias were not very law friendly people, as it had been proven by the past.

”Fear not, Sting Eucliffe, I have no intentions of breaking Fiorean laws.”

”Did you just read my mind?” Sting asked in shock.

”Yes, but that is only one of my many skills. Will you let me join your guild or are we only going to keep this pointless chit chat going?” Regal asked and raised her eyebrow. ”I have no time for your little games. I want to show people at home that being a powerful mage is just as good as being highly intelligent.”

”I like her sass”, said Lector.

”Froche thinks so too!” Froche chorused.

”Well, Sting? It's your decision”, Rogue asked calmly, even though he was eyeing Regal from head to toe.

”Fine, she can join our fabulous guild”, Sting sighed, still amused by Rogue's behavior. He had no idea his friend had a thing for Time Mages. ”Welcome to Sabertooth, Regal, I'm sure you will do good”, he added.

”I certainly will, Master Eucliffe. There's absolutely no doubts about that”, Regal said as they shook hands. She looked genuinely grateful.

”You can team up with Rogue here. I can't join the missions anymore as I'm the new Master of the guild so you can take my place as his partner”, Sting said casually, even though in secret he wanted to help his friend to get this girl he so obviously liked.

”Alright”, Regal said and then smiled to Rogue. ”You're Rogue, aren't you?”

”Oh, yes. Nice to meet you, Regal”, Shadow Dragon Slayer said. ”I'm going on a job later today. Would you like to join me?”

”That's fine with me”, Regal agreed and smiled even wider.

In fact, she looked like a small sun with that smile.

Sting noticed the effect it had on Rogue and congratulated himself in his head. He quietly left the two alone to discuss on the mission details and made his way back to his room to fill in some annoying documents he couldn't really understand that well.

After working on the papers for some time, there was a knock on the door and Yukino entered the room. She smiled gently to Sting, who grinned. Yukino was the sweetest girl he had ever met after he had learned details about her, and he was hooked. Why hadn't he tried to get closer to her before? She was like a girl of his dreams!

”Regal seems to get along with everybody really well, Sting”, Yukino told him.

”That's really good, Yukino. It'd be a shame if everyone hated her”, Sting agreed.

”I think Rogue fell for her smile the moment he saw it”, Yukino said. ”Which made me wonder about us.”

”Who?”

”You and me, dummy.”

”What about us?”

”You really are blind sometimes, Sting. Do you know why nobody ever flirts with me?” Yukino said and laughed. ”They don't approach me because they think I'm yours. And I want it to be true so I never tell them we are just friends.”

Sting grinned. ”Oh, I see. That's probably the same reason most women I try to flirt with are telling me to go away. Everyone thinks you and me are together.”

Yukino nodded, and smiled.

”We should be”, Sting said.

”What?”

”Together, as a couple.”

”Really?”

”It's obvious we got a thing going on here, Yukino. You're unique because you're sweet, and I'm awesome and hot. What do you say?”

Yukino blushed, but smiled all the way. ”I want you”, she said firmly.

”Good because I want you too”, Sting grinned as she got up from his chair and walked around the messy table. Then he pulled Yukino to his arms and kissed her.

She kissed him with the same passion that he kissed her with.

”You're not a good girl”, Sting whispered against her lips.

”Ooops, you got me”, Yukino just said and kissed him again.

Damn, it felt good to be home.

*******

_Epilogue_

_Magnolia  
_ _The Central Park_

Everyone was having fun at the guild except one person. They were all happy for them because they had finally taken action and followed their hearts to each other's arms. The moment she had seen Natsu wrap his arm around Lucy's shoulders, it was like as if the whole world had shattered into pieces for the last time. It was the end. Not a beginning of anything, but an end of something that had been lingering in her mind for so long.

She had finally had a way to make him hers for good.

She had wanted to take action tonight after the wild partying.

But she had been so into making her plans that she hadn't noticed Natsu making his decision.

She sighed, as she sat down by the tree in the central park in Magnolia, and leaned in and felt the wet surface against her back. But she didn't care about getting wet. Or coldness.

Her heart was broken for the last time.

And what shattered it even further was that she had been planning to ruin the happiness of the one man she had ever loved. How could she be so blinded by jealousy? She had been jealous of how Lucy got so close to Natsu, how she had stolen the spot in his heart that had been hers once – and she wanted it all back.

Lisanna sighed, as she took out the small glass bottle of white liquid from her pocket. The bottle contained a magic potion that could've made Natsu forget Lucy altogether. He would've only seen Lisanna, and Lucy would've been nonexistent. It was a forbidden potion of dark magic, and she had found out about it from one of the books at the guild library. She had thought about using it on Natsu to see if it really worked.

But seeing him so happy with Lucy made her doubt her decision. She had never seen Natsu so happy with anybody, not even with her. He was so relaxed there next to her. Lisanna had never had that effect on him. Around her, he had always been so nervous and restless.

”It's not the right thing to do”, Lisanna whispered. ”I can't take him away from Lucy. She makes him so happy...”

How could she not have seen it? It was obvious that Lucy and Natsu were made for each other but Lisanna had failed to see it – until today.

She dropped the bottle on the ground. It broke into pieces and the liquid inside was absorbed by the ground, leaving no traces of the treachery that Lisanna Strauss had been so close to do.

”Someday I will find someone who I will love the way they love each other”, Lisanna sighed. ”I just hope it won't take forever...”


End file.
